Historical Marker

Water Filtration Experiments

Historical marker location:

Louisville, Kentucky

( Zorn Avenue, at roundabout in front of Louisville Water Tower Park, Louisville, KY)

On this site, 1895-1897, George Warren Fuller, now known as “the father of sanitary engineering,” conducted the first scientific testing of water filtration. For a year, four companies tested filter devices to clean the muddy water of the Ohio River. Fuller continued his experiments for another year.

Reverse

The data he collected led to a 3-part system that includes sand and gravel filtration. This system purified Ohio River water so well that when filtering began in 1909, the number of deaths from typhoid fever declined by 60%. Fuller’s purification system formed the basis of modern water filtration.

Dedicated March 1, 2017.