In 1868 Prudent Beaudry joined hands with Dr. John Griffin and Solomon Lazard for the most ambitious efforts to resolve Los Angeles water issues. The New Canal and Reservoir Company was formed to advance Beaudry’s real estate dreams. Holdings in the arid hills north and northwest of the city would be subdivided and developed for hillside homes in a tract known as Bellevue Terrace. Additional lands for a dam in the dry chaparral area known today as Echo Park, were acquired from the city. Water systems evolved around the central plaza district and south along the river bottomland. Beaudry’s dam would encourage westward growth of the city.

On February 1, 1868 the Common Council of the City of Los Angeles passed an ordinance granting the City Water-Works to Prudent Beaudry and associates. Although conservatives considered the ideas outlandish, land grants to the new company won approval and the signature of  Mayor Cristóbal Aguilar.

“Articles of incorporation of the Los Angeles City Water-Works company have been filed in the Secretary of States office, Sacramento, capital stock two hundred and twenty thousand dollars divided into two thousand two hundred shares of one hundred dollars each. The Trustees are J.S. Griffith, J.G. Downey, P. Beaudry, S. Lazard, A.J. King, Eugene Myer and Charles Lafaon.”  (Sept. 15, 1868 L.A. News)

“”The Los Angeles City Water-Works have commenced cutting their canal from the Los Angeles River, six miles above the city.” (November 24, 1868 L.A. News)

Zanja (canal) through Central Park, later Pershing Square, in the heart of downtown before 1882. This was Zanja number 6 and was built by O. W. Childs, who was the lower of two bidders for the project. In payment he received land from 6th Street to Pico Boulevard and Main Street to Figueroa. The zanja was part of the city's water delivery system from the river.  (Los Angeles Public Library Collection)

“A few days ago we profited by an invitation to examine the recently constructed water-ditch and tunnel of the Los Angeles City Water Company, and in company with one of the directors strolled three or four miles up the ditch, which has a total length of six and a half miles, three of which are through solid sandstone. The tunnel is one hundred and eighty-two feet long, three and one-half feet wide and five feet high. The whole work is executed in the most substantial manner and cost about fifteen thousand dollars. Along the ditch upon the bluff is built a good foot path, which will be shaded in another year with trees planted on the edge of the ditch in such a manner as to strengthen the banks and afford ample shade for those who wish to air themselves on the splendid Boulevard de Beaudry, as it will be called after the very capable and energetic President of the company who gave so much of his valuable time to their personal supervision of the work from the commencement to its completion.

The enterprise is the most important one ever carried out in this county, and one that our citizens may justly feel proud of, being, as it is a public work, that at the end of thirty years will revert to the city, with all the pipes, reservoirs, and paraphernalia of a great water-works, the revenue of which will more than sufficient to support the city government. Less than one year ago, when the company proposed to pay the city a rental of one thousand five hundred dollars per annum, and make such improvements as would make the city a permanent and valuable water-works, the proposition met with a strong opposition from many of our citizens. The promptness, however, with which a work of such magnitude was begun and completed, and the upward tendency given to real estate as confidence became established, completely disarmed all opposition, and the water-works is to-day a popular enterprise, the final completion of which will add in a few years millions to the wealth of the city. The works belong to the city corporation, and are rented to the present company, and instead of being fostered by the city government, the company were compelled to expend nearly ten thousand dollars for rights of way, sites for machinery and reservoirs, that the city would have supplied without any cost to the tax-payers or the company, which was the duty of the municipal government to do. By large expenditures of money, however, the company overcame all obstacles, and now have the work on the high road to successful completion. A large and permanent supply of pure spring water is now constantly filling their reservoirs. Twenty-five thousand feet of first-class iron pipe have been shipped from Europe, and is expected to arrive her by the first of June, and before the end of the summer the municipal government of Los Angeles will be the owner of the best constructed water-works on the Pacific Coast, which instead of being an expense to the tax-payers, actually paid the interest upon one-third of the public debt during its construction, and which will at the expiration of the lease support the municipal government.”  (January 12, 1869  Los Angeles Daily News)

An Act was approved on April 2, 1870 to divide the city into three irrigating districts.  A Board of three Water Commissioners was to be elected by actual irrigators of the real estate within the city limits. Manual F. Coronel, Jose Wolfskill, and F.R. Toberman were appointed until the next municipal election. All control of water was transferred from the Mayor and Council to this new Board. The election in December 1870 appointed L.B. Martinez, J.J. Warner and L. Bauchette Water Commissioners. Two years later the Act of 1870 was repealed and the Mayor and Common Council regained all of their former powers. 

The “Historical Sketch of Los Angeles County” described the water system on hills west of Los Angeles:

 “In the year 1872 improvements were commenced in the hills west of Los Angeles City. These hills, although offering delightful sites for residences, from lack of water and difficulty of access, had not shared in the prosperity of the city, but had remained comparatively valueless and neglected. To the energy and perseverance, more especially of two men, Mr. P. Beaudry and Mr. J. W. Potts, is due the change that has taken place. Mr. Potts has, since 1872, expended in grading, principally upon the lines of Temple and Second streets, upwards of thirty thousand dollars. Mr. Beaudry has in like manner expended upwards of fifty-thousand dollars. The work with which Mr. Beaudry’s name has been more especially linked is the furnishing of an abundant supply of water to these hill lands. Mr. Beaudry has had excavated a large basin amid the springs lying along upper Alameda street from which, with a sixty horse-power engine running a Hooker pump of the capacity of forty thousand gallons per hour, water is forced to an elevation of two hundred and forty feet, where it is received by two reservoirs with a storage capacity of three million five hundred thousand gallons, and thence distributed of three million five hundred thousand gallons, and thence distributed through eleven miles of iron pipes over the tops of the highest hills.  These works have cost ninety-five thousand dollars.”

Map of the old portion of the city surrounding the plaza, showing the old plaza church, public square, the first gas plant and adode buildings, Los Angeles city, March 12th, 1873. (Library of Congress Collection)

The water needs of Los Angeles were controlled by Prudent Beaudry’s company from 1868 when the population was a mere 4500 people until its' lease expired  in 1898.  By then, Beaudry and associates had passed on, and others would continue the struggle to meet the needs of over 100,000 residents. Los Angeles city officials fought to take the water system back from the company. After long and heated negotiations, the City of Los Angeles gained control. The City of Los Angeles Water Department was formed and William Mulholland, who had begun his lengthy career in water digging artesian wells with a hand drill and moved on to ditch digger, would study all aspects of water, hydraulic engineering and geology and be appointed superintendent.