In August, 1884, the invitation to bid was offered. “Proposals for building the Natchaug River dam and the foundations for the pump house and pumps of the Willimantic Water Works will be received by the Board of Water Commissioners, of the Borough of Willimantic until 12 o'clock, noon on the 30th day of August.” In September, the contract for the building of the dam and foundations for the water works buildings was awarded to Mr. J.H. Leavitt of Boston. Within a month, rapid progress was being made. A coffer dam had been constructed in order to provide a good working base for the actual dam. The Chronicle said, “Evidently Contractor Leavitt understands his business thoroughly and will build a dam that will stay.”. It should be mentioned that a minor problem had developed in the meantime. Willimantic’s leaders had negotiated with Mansfield’s leaders to acquire the land for the pumping station and dam. Mansfield  voters had agreed to grant a piece of land to Windham but later had rescinded the vote. Nonetheless, Willimantic’s water commissioners went ahead with the work. The next steps were to lay pipe and to select a site for the reservoir. By December, 1884, contractors were laying a sixteen-inch pipe from the pumping station to the corner of Jackson and Valley Street. From there, a twelve-inch pipe was to be laid to Pleasant Street and eventually, the reservoir. A reservoir at Hosmer Mountain was the choice of engineer Fanning and the Board of Water Commissioners. In December, 1884, the commissioners purchased a strip of land eighty feet wide from the Young estate, extending from the mountain road to the proposed site of the reservoir. The land required for the reservoir and its surroundings, almost nine acres, was purchased from the Haydens. The “Chronicle” informed readers that, “the reservoir will be about 250 by 150 feet inside, and will be enclosed by a stone wall backed up by a strong embankment of earth.” W.H. Flynn submitted a bid of $18,278 and was given the contract to build the reservoir. In March, 1885, a separate contract amounting to $19,335 was awarded to James Newman of Providence to lay the pipes that would extend throughout the borough. 55,000 feet of pipe was to be laid and 120 hydrants were to be installed. Between March and April, twelve hundred tons of pipe was delivered and work commenced. Work at the dam and pumping station continued at a steady pace. In May, the “Chronicle” noted that, “one hundred Italian laborers will arrive here next week to be employed at the water works”. In September, a newspaper report said that,”(T)hings at the Natchaug Pumping Station are beginning to put on an appearance which indicates that the city can have water by steam power sometime before snow flies. The tall chimney marks the location of the city’s water works for miles around”. Two boilers as well as what was described as, “a monster steam pump” had been installed. By December, the majority of the work had been completed and the water works system was tested and found to be in excellent condition. The pumping capacity was two thousand gallons per minute. The “Hartford Courant”, in December, 1885, reported that,  “ The new system of water works was tested Saturday afternoon and showed its usefulness for fire purposes, etc. Several hydrants in different portions of the town were opened; one at the corner of North and Main streets threw a stream over Loomer’s Opera House; one at the top of Summit Street threw a stream even there completely over the highest housetops. This test was made at the usual pressure and when the gate at the reservoir is closed and the pumps all at work, the force and height of the stream of water from the hydrants will be far greater”. In just over a year, a dam, pumping station, and engineer’s house were erected, a five million gallon reservoir was built, and more than twelve miles of iron pipes had been laid through the streets. Willimantic had its water works. The water works proved both its importance and its capacity to supply water during the summer and early fall of 1891 when a drought affected the region. The water works kept up with the demand for water and the superintendent reported that even with the increased demand, water was still running over the top of the dam”. In their 1891 report, the Water Commissioners noted, however, cautioned that, “we are rapidly approaching the full capacity of our works. We have been obliged to pump 20 hours or more per day for weeks at a time during the past season.” The report indicated that 555,00 gallons per day were being used. The water supply was more than adequate. The means to deliver it were limited. Water hungry Willimantic was straining the system. That will be another story.