Washington's earliest residents relied on natural springs but this came to be inadequate as the city's population grew.

Work and study conducted under the leadership of Lieutenant Montgomery C. Meigs culminated into the development of the Washington Aqueduct which began operations on January 3, 1859.

Initially the system provided water to the city from the Little Falls Branch in Maryland, until the aqueduct construction was completed.

The contractor encountered considerable technical difficulties with varying soil and rock conditions, as well as surveying errors and tunnel alignment problems.

[2]: 86–87 By 1902 it became apparent that the sedimentation process in the several reservoirs was not effective against pathogens such as bacteria, and was therefore not sufficiently protective of public health.

To handle population growth and municipal sanitation needs, the city built the McMillan Sand Filtration Site in 1905.

Another treatment plant was completed in 1928 adjacent to the Dalecarlia Reservoir using a newer technology, a rapid sand filter.

[10] The McMillan Fountain is a public artwork by American artist Herbert Adams located on the Reservoir grounds.

Cast by Roman Bronze Works, the fountain was originally part of a large landscape setting designed by Charles A. Platt.

A tribute to James McMillan, the fountain was paid for by citizens of Michigan, who raised $25,000 by way of pennies, nickels and dimes donated by public school children.

(The government dissolved the NCRC in 2007 and merged its functions into the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.