In 2004 the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau marked the 50th anniversary of the start of its industrial water supply. As a special project to celebrate this anniversary, it has published the volume Osaka-shi kogyo-yo suido gojunen-shi (“Industrial Waterworks in Osaka: Fifty Years of History E (A4, 596 pages).

This history has been available at ward offices, libraries, and the Administrative Document Center (in the Nakanoshima building of Osaka City Hall) since July 1. It is also on sale at a cost of 4,960 yen (including tax but not mailing cost) per copy.

Since the Osaka industrial water supply business began pumping water on June 15, 1954, it has played a major role in preventing land subsidence in the Osaka basin as well as in supporting Osaka’s high-level urban lifestyle. This volume covers the history of the 50 years since the establishment of the industrial water supply business and also tells the story of the Osaka Coastal Industrial Waterworks Corporation Group, which was disbanded at the end of March 2004. It offers a detailed, accurate history of the industrial water supply in Osaka.

Outline of “Industrial Waterworks in Osaka: Fifty Years of History E/h2>

(1) Format

This work covers the history of the period since the establishment of the industrial water supply business and also tells the story of the Osaka Coastal Industrial Waterworks Corporation Group, which was disbanded in March 2004. These are described mainly in chronological order in a total of six volumes.

History
Volume 1. Establishment of industrial water supply
Volume 2. Expansion phase
Volume 3. Modification of facilities to appropriate scale and renovation of facilities
Volume 4. The Osaka Coastal Industrial Waterworks Corporation Group from its establishment to its dissolution
Volume 5. The present and future of the industrial water supply
Volume 6. Resources

(2) Specifications and other information

• Number of copies printed: 350
• Main features of format: A4 size (deluxe book), hardcover, color frontispiece, presentation box

(3) Cost of publication

1,734,600 yen (tax included, covering data input, printing, and binding)

(4) Main places available (within Osaka City)

• All ward offices
• Municipal Central Library, all ward libraries (except Nishi Ward, where the Central Library is located)
• Osaka City University Media Center
• Administrative Document Center (first floor of Osaka City Hall Nakanoshima building)
• Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library

(5) Sales

• Sales outlet
  Business (industrial water services), General Affairs Division, Osaka City Waterworks Bureau
  WTC 10F, 1-14-16 Nanko-kita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka
  Tel: 06-6616-5478 Fax: 06-6616-5479
• Price
  4,960 yen (tax included)

If sent by mail, mailing costs will be added.

(Reference)

History of Osaka Municipal Industrial Water Supply:
In Osaka City, particularly in the city’s western wards, a dramatic increase from the early Showa period (late 1920s) in the pumping up of water for industrial use resulted in severe subsidence in the Osaka basin, and during typhoons the area was badly damaged by high tides.

For this reason, as part of the measures to prevent subsidence in the Osaka basin, construction began in March 1951 on an industrial water supply for the purpose of offering an alternative water source to industrial groundwater. Water supply was first launched in 1954 in Konohana and Fukushima wards.

The Industrial Water Law was subsequently enacted in 1956 and the pumping up of industrial-use groundwater gradually became more regulated. The industrial water supply was expanded four times to respond to the resulting increase in demand, and by 1967 the system had the capacity to supply 575,500 m3/day of water.

The unusual drought of summer 1973, however, closely followed by the oil shock, meant that the economy entered a sharp recession that resulted in greatly decreased demand, which was exacerbated by an increasing awareness of the need to save water. In order to make operations more efficient in response to these changes in demand, unnecessary facilities were gradually mothballed or scrapped. As a result, the system’s supply capacity was reduced to its present value of 300,000 m3/day.

The Osaka Coastal Industrial Waterworks Corporation Group was established jointly by the Osaka prefectural and municipal governments in 1960 for the purpose of supplying industrial water to the Osaka Nanko and Sakai port areas. It was dissolved at the end of March 2004 with the withdrawal of the sole remaining source of demand from the prefectural side. The remaining customers within Osaka City have been supplied by the Osaka Municipal Government since 2004.

[Page“Industrial Waterworks in Osaka: Fifty Years of History Enow on sale under Industrial Waterworks on the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau Website ends here.]