Roman Aqueducts
In ancient times there were 11 major aqueducts that brought water into Rome, which had over a million inhabitants. These aqueducts provided about 200 gallons of water per person, per day! All the aqueducts, whether below or above ground, had a stone covering over the flowing water to protect it from bugs, animals, and evaporation. At the end of the aqueduct, the water would flow into a collection point called a cistern, or public reservoir in the cities. From there, the water flowed into pipes which distributed it throughout the city.
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Roman cities began to grow quickly to become the largest and most powerful in the world. Water was very scarce. The Romans had to find ways to bring water into their cities. The developments of ancient Roman engineers laid the foundation for the plumbing and water systems that exist in the United States today. The Roman solution was to take water from distant wells or natural springs. They built stone structures called aqueducts to carry water. The aqueducts went through mountains, across valleys, and even across towns. Many can still be seen today. Engineers would find a stream or mountain spring and divert its flow into a channel. These channels never ran in a straight line all the way to the city, because the Romans had to rely on gravity to move the water over the many miles between the source and the city fountains. Thus, maintaining a minor downhill flow was the goal, not the shortest route. The roundabout course of the aqueducts meant that some were 25 miles long.
Only the richest Romans had water running directly into their home. The water also supplied public baths and public toilets. By 315 AD, it’s estimated that Rome had 144 public toilets flushed by water, with many more in private homes of the wealthy. Where did the wastewater from the toilets go? The famous Roman writer, Pliny the Elder (79 AD), tells us: “Old men still admire the city sewers, the greatest achievement of them all. They were built 700 years ago and they are still undamaged. There are seven rivers made to flow in seven tunnels under the city. These finally win into one great sewer. These rivers rush through like mountain streams and swollen by rain water, they sweep away all the sewage.” |
There were also gutters along the edges of the streets that quickly and methodically carried rainwater away. A famous sewer built by the Romans in 500 BC, the Coaca Maxima, is still in use today!