“Few people in the western world realize that they have an extra power source available in their household, workshop or factory: tap water.
Just before the arrival of electricity at the end of the nineteenth century, water motors were widely used in Europe and America.
These miniature water turbines were connected to the tap and could power any machine that is now driven by electricity.
In the mid-nineteenth century, many European and American cities introduced a more sophisticated water distribution system: the public water supply. Although this introduction was an answer to health concerns (it had become clear that reoccurring epidemics were the consequence of drinking contaminated water), it became quickly obvious that the potable water sent through the pipelines of the public water supply could also provide motive power…”
