MEANDER RESERVOIR | History

Meander Creek most likely received its name because of how it winds and turns through several communities.

The Salt Lick was located south of Salt Springs Road outside the northern boundary of what is now the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District. Rather than a lick, these were salt springs with only a small percentage of saline, but attracted deer — which in turn attracted Indian hunters and settlers.

The importance of the springs declined by 1810, because it took a lot of work to produce very little salt.

Communities such as Youngstown grew and depended on the Mahoning River for its water supply. By 1872, Youngstown had a population of 10,000. The city built its first water supply installation. It served as a source of water for residents and industry, but also carried waste products.

The river became badly polluted in the late 1800s.

In 1905, Youngstown built its first filtration plant. Niles followed in 1911 because three typhoid fever epidemics broke out in 1901, 1902 and 1909.

In 1920, a petitioning effort began for the formation of the district. It was hoped that all the Mahoning Valley communities would unite, but there were too many obstacles. It settled on Youngstown and Niles in 1925.

The district bought its first piece of land in 1927 from Josiah Kirkpatrick, who changed his name to Kirk. Kirk Road was named after him.

Although many water sources had been considered, including Lake Erie, it was decided to build Mineral Ridge Dam on Meander Creek to create the reservoir with a purification plant. The total cost was nearly $9.2 million.

Construction was started in 1929 and continued through 1932 when the MVSD opened for business. In 1944, McDonald village was added as the third member.

Sources: History of Meander by Donald D. Heffelfinger and updated by John E. Tucker, both MVSD secretaries and chief engineers.