The most important thing for people after oxygen is water. An average human has 43 liters of water and may exist without water 3-5 days. So importance and 
necessity of water is obvious.
In 1830s New York faced with a very big and vital problem – crisis of water. “Water for cooking and consumption could no longer safely be drawn from wells within the city boundary” (Homberger, 82). But water had no reach people. The Temperance campaigners soon vigorously called for a municipal provision of water. New Yorkers experienced outbreaks of yellow fever and the deadly cholera. A polluted aquifer, overcrowded housing, the lack of sewers, public ignorance of basic sanitary precautions, and the existence of foul and polluting industries near wells and residential areas contributed to an unprecedented mortality rate. “In 1830 there was one death per 39 inhabitants.” In such condition the need for a new supply of fresh water was crucial.
In 1837 the construction began of the dam, aqueducts, tunnels, piping, and reservoirs which would provide the city’s water. By the middle of the decade, baths and running water were being built in the best private homes. For most New Yorkers, it would be more than half a century before private baths were generally available. It raised the overall quality of life in the city and for everybody.