The City of Hamilton, Ontario began treating its water in 1859. The facility started the way most water treatment plants did, as a resource for fire protection. Over time, after a city-wide cholera epidemic, the facility was transitioned into a water treatment plant to provide clean drinking water for the area’s citizens. The founders of Hamilton decided on the location of the plant with highly forward and long-term thinking. The choice was simple, it was based on the natural geography of Hamilton and the proximity to Lake Ontario.