Preston Drainage Company
1905 -1999

The Preston Drainage Company was a private sewage disposal company that served the residents in the Fifth Ward of Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania from 1905 to 1999.

Location of the drainage pipes:

On Railroad Avenue, from Preston Avenue to County Line, on County Line Road from Railroad Avenue to Old Lancaster Road, approximately 200 feet along Buck Lane between Railroad Avenue and Walnut, all of Walnut Lane, Oakley Road, and Panmure Road.

The company’s responsibilities included: “The construction and maintenance of sewers, culverts, conduits, and pipes with all necessary inlets and appliances for surface, under the surface and sewage drainage for the health, comfort, and convenience of inhabitants and sanitary improvement in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.”

Preston Drainage Sewage Rates (Published in 1908)

The Preston Sewage Company charged per item because, at the time, there was no way to measure how much water their customers were using. The company did not increase its fees until 1944.

In 1905, a small section of the Preston community was connected to the Lower Merion sewage system. Under this agreement, the Lower Merion Township received a proportion of the sewer rentals collected and was paid $100 a year to flush the sewers (1, p.154). See the following 1908 map.

1908 Map by A.H. Mueller - plate 11

The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 22, 1912, published the following: “On both sides of Buck Lane and Preston Avenue, sink and other wastewater from the houses empties into open drains, sometimes paved with brick or stone, sometimes only dirt ditches running through the side yard, under the sidewalk and into gutters, where, on its way down the hill, it increases in size and smell, until it quite a solid stream of filth at the bottom. In several cases, the contents of these troughs flow over the sidewalk. This sewage is finally collected into a large ditch at the end of the two streets. The report also stated that many of these houses still had privy wells on their back porches and that their relationship to the water pumps made for very unsanitary conditions (2).

During the early 1900s maps of the Preston area show 4" pipes were being installed below the surrounding streets. "By the 1890s, cast iron sewer pipes provided a reliable and durable alternative to clay or wood stave pipes. wooden sewer pipes." (3). Prior to this timeframe, houses had a privy well to handle people's feces. For those who do not know, a privy well is an outdoor pit without a water supply. The pit would be 3ft to 6 ft deep and lined with bricks or stones to prevent a collapse.

In September of 1937, the Preston Drainage Company met with the Haverford Township Commissioners and offered to sell the sewage lines for "$2.00 per front foot of each property on the line, fewer deductions for intersections and corner properties. To date the only answer received was an offer received from the Township solicitor, Mr. Harold Erwin of $5,000. This offer was refused by your Vice President.”

In a letter written to its stockholders dated January 10, 1938, the Preston Drainage Company reported, "There were no new connections to your system during the past year and there are 73 properties now connected. During the year, three properties were added and additional fixtures which increased the rentals by $48.50."

In 1995, Haverford Township realized it was costing them significantly more money to process the sewage from the Preston Drainage Company than they were being paid. Conversations began to have Haverford Township take over the sewage responsibilities. On January 1, 1999, the Preston Drainage Company filed paperwork with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission requesting approval to transfer the private sewer line to Haverford Township. By the end of September, the request had been approved. The Preston Drainage Company was officially dissolved. The Preston community customers agreed to pay a higher sewer rate to help pay for the replacement of newer sewer pipes.

Sources:

The vast majority of information for this webpage came from the Minutes of the Preston Company.

1. The Government of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania a Report of Survey by the Bureau of Municipal Research of Philadelphia, published by the Commissioners of Lower Merion Township, Ardmore, Pennsylvania, published in 1922.

2. Philadelphia Inquirer, published as The Philadelphia Inquirer; Date: 09-22-1912; Volume: 167; Issue: 84

3. Information about the type of pipe was provided by, The Evolution & History of Sewers & Sewer Pipes | Orange Coast Plumbing

Preston Drainage Company 1905 -1999

Preston Drainage Company
1905 -1999