The first of the ‘piped’ services to come to Chatswood was water in 1891. Two tanks, each of 1,500,000 gallons were erected at the comer of Lane Cove and Mowbray Roads to serve Willoughby, Mosman and North Sydney. The water came from the old steam-powered pumping station at Ryde. Within four years the population had increased so much that more tanks were needed. Two were erected at Wahroonga, supplied via a pumping station at Chatswood. Our water now comes by gravity from Wahroonga, and the Chatswood tanks supply the lower North Shore.
As the area of piped water increased, sewerage was introduced to Chatswood from 1899. This facility spread slowly throughout the municipality. Part of the effluent was treated in an area of 22V^ acres set aside on the north-east corner of Victoria Avenue and Warrane Road for a septic tank, which was accepted by the Minister for Public Works on 10 February 1902 and transferred to the Water and Sewerage Board on 26 September 1905.
Source: Egan v. (1988) Heritage of East Chatswood, Willoughby Council
