The council met in a special session November 20 to define the locations of the mains. Despite long discussions, no decision was reached because councilmen supported locations in their own districts. Subsequently, a committee of one councilman from each of the four wards was formed to make the decision. The committee reported its recommendations to the council on November 22. Again it was fully debated, with Councilman Smyth protesting that his ward, the second, had suffered an injustice by being allotted only six hydrants, compared to 14 for the first, and 21 for the third and fourth combined. Despite the disagreements, the plan passed.

Douglas Avenue and Main Street were the central business streets of the city, and the council specified 19 hydrant locations along those routes, while allowing councilmen from each ward to determine the locations in their own districts. The information was then sent to the company. At the next regularly scheduled meeting, on November 27, Ordinance 270 was passed "relating to locations of water mains along the streets in the City of Wichita and specifying what streets are included in Exhibit 'A' named in Ordinance 266." The ordinance was passed with all but Smyth in favor. Although six months had been allowed for the company to complete the works, the council moved, during this meeting, to allow 60 more days for meeting the franchise requirements. (City Council Minutes).

Once Jones received the franchise, he founded a company to manage it. On November 13, 1882, articles of incorporation were issued for the first Wichita Water Company with a capital of $100,000. The directors of the company were men who had made a significant impact on the development of the city. The president was Samuel Houck, a Wichita businessman described by the Wichita City Eagle on November 30,1882, as a "careful, thoroughgoing businessman, one who carefully weighs all his business undertakings, and, where convinced of their predictability, he does not hesitate to employ his energies and money into successful operations." Treasurer Hiram W. Lewis was one of the first financial investors and bankers in Wichita, helping to build the young city. Richard Cogdell, another director, served in a number of city positions in its early years, including first assistant of the city-organized fire department, policeman, and sheriff. Finally, Frank Williams, another Wichitan, was secretary. And James A. Jones became the superintendent.

The Eagle stated that Jones, "who has a thorough knowledge of the system gained by several years practical experience, will superintend the work of construction and promises to have the system in successful operation at the earliest possible moment." (Eagle, 11/30/1882). He didn't stay long in Wichita, however, selling his rights the day after the franchise became law, barely two months after he was granted it, for "value received." (Eagle, 7/30/39).

Despite Jones's departure, the Wichita businessmen completed construction and operated the company for the next four years. The system was finished in 1883 for a total cost of $90,000. While the private company operated the system, the city was also concerned about maintaining access to a supply of water. On June 11, 1883, the Judiciary Committee of the City Council reported there was no doubt Wichita could condemn as much of any stream as was necessary to supply its inhabitants. Of course, it would not always be that simple.

The wells for the new waterworks system were located in northwest Wichita near the junction of the Big and Little Arkansas rivers, which served as the source of supply for 58 years. The waterworks actually consisted of a building containing pumps to draw the water from the wells to the standpipe, which then allowed the water to flow by gravity through the mains.

The pumping station, located on the west side of River Street, between Elm and Pine streets, was a one-story brick building with an engine room, boiler room, and a coal room. Two Smith-Vaille pumps, each with a capacity of 1,250,000 gallons per day, pumped the water through nine miles of wooden mains, varying in size from six to 44 inches in diameter. Two wells brought the water supply from under the river. A 12-inch pipe ran from the smaller well to the Little Arkansas River to augment the supply. A 150-foot by 50-foot standpipe was filled with water which then poured through the mains by gravity.

Land for the plant was conveyed to the Water Company by Samuel and Ida Houck on November 23, 1882, the day the company was assigned Jones's franchise rights. The area was described in the deed as running from the northwest corner of Lot 10 on Sherman Street, the Lakeside Addition, north on the section line to the middle of the Little Arkansas River, south on the west line of River Street to the south fine of Elm Street, and west to the beginning point. All of it belonged to the company except for one 120-foot square section where the Wichita Creamery was located.

The development of the water system seemed filled with controversy from the very beginning. Any large project, especially for a young city, will arouse varying opinions, but especially substances of such importance as water. From the very beginning of a public water supply to the present, water has remained one of the major areas of conflict for the city of Wichita.

Once the water system was completed, the terms of the franchise called for tests to insure its effectiveness. After the completion of the project on the 16th, the City Council voted on May 17, 1883, to begin testing the waterworks on the following Monday, the 21st, with the combined fire and water committees evaluating the result.

The public test was covered by the Eagle. City officials, news reporters and citizens witnessed the test to check the power of the system and its capacity to fight fire. As the franchise required, 50 feet of 2 1/2-inch rubber hoses, with 1-inch nozzles, were attached to six different hydrants in different squares. The Eagle reported on May 24, however, that "We believe but three hoses were turned loose at any one time." The city engineer observed the three streams of water, estimating a height of 95 feet. Concluding its report, the Eagle claimed, "We believe the capacity of the works unquestioningly, and we have no doubt the water could have been thrown higher."

On the 24th, another test was completed for the public as several hundred watched, along with officials from Winfield, Newton, Emporia, Wellington, Hutchinson, Augusta, and El Dorado, again with full coverage by the Eagle. Members of the Fire Department, in uniforms and rubber coats, were stationed at six hydrants with water running through the system as before. A 1/4-inch nozzle was attached to a 500 foot hose for the final test and threw a stream of water 20 to 30 feet above the houses, according to the Eagle. Newspapers at that time often served as public relations arms for their cities, explaining their benefits as compared to others, and the Eagle was no different. It reported on the fine showing of the waterworks and stated that "One gentleman who had witnessed the tests at Emporia, Topeka and Atchison said he challenged the systems of either of the places named to make such a satisfactory showing." (Eagle, 5/31/1883).

A special session of the council was held on the next day, the 25th, for the purpose of accepting or rejecting the test of the waterworks company. A five-member committee had been established to evaluate the tests and four of them, B.K. Brown, N.A. English, Dyer, and McAdams, presented a report stating the waterworks had thrown "six streams of water, through 50 feet of 2 1/2-inch rubber hose and 1-inch nozzles, 85 feet high