Archives In Brief 111 - Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board Detail Sheets, c1904-45

— filed under: finding aids, publications

Provides a brief overview of the Detail Sheets created by the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWS&DB) and how to access them. Other records may be identified in Archives Investigator (under Agency Nos 479 and 482).

The Detail Sheets are a series of plans created by the MWS&DB to record details of sewer mains and sanitary drainage. They are Open to Public Access.
Covering Sydney and suburbs the detail sheets record municipality, title and location of the Board's works, details of pipes and manholes, positions of buildings, roads, tram lines, railways, and geographic features such as creeks. Also included is information about buildings which existed at the time of survey. Details of houses may include street name, house number and name, lot number, the outline of the ground floor and details of construction material. Where lots are vacant the boundaries of title with title references may be shown.
Time period: There are some sheets which are based on surveys as early as 1904, some have been redrawn and some have had additional information plotted up to 1945. The majority of sheets date between 1910 and 1940.

The Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWS&DB) was established on 31 March, 1925 by An Act to provide for the water supply, sewerage and stormwater drainage of certain districts in and adjacent to the County of Cumberland, 1924 (Act No, 50, 1924).

The Board was responsible for the conservation, preservation and distribution of water for domestic and other uses; the provision of reticulation and other means for the discharge of sewerage and its treatment and disposal; the construction, control and management of stormwater channels assigned to or vested in it; the administration and management of all properties from time to time vested in it; the operation and maintenance, and where necessary, the improvement and extension of all works from time to time vested in it; the construction of any new, additional or supplementary works of water supply, sewerage or drainage; and, the extension of its services to areas or districts not served with its mains, or sewers or drains.

In 1987 the Board was reconstituted as the Water Board, which was abolished in 1994 and the Sydney Water Corporation Limited was established as its successor on 1 January 1995.

How to search the Detail Sheets

Step	Action
1	Consult MWS&DB NRS 9942, Key Maps for detail sheets [Maps 390-441] locating the correct map covering the suburb required. Tip: photocopies of these maps are available at the Western Sydney Reading Room and aperture card copies of the maps available at the Sydney Reading Room.
2	Consult the map, locate the specific area required and note the number given. This is the Detail Sheet number.
3	Consult MWS&DB NRS 9944, List of Detail Sheets [2/1]. Locate the Detail Sheet number in the left hand column Read across the page to the column headed 'DS Original No.' and note the number given Tip: if there is no number in the DS Original No. column the Detail Sheet is not held at State Records.
4	Consult the item list for NRS 9941, Detail Sheets, c.1901-45, [Maps 13431-16247]. Convert the DS Original No. into a State Records map number. Tip: item lists are available in both reading rooms.
5	Request and view the map in the Western Sydney Reading Room. You will need the State Records map number. Tip: You will need to have a readers' ticket to view original records. For information on obtaining a readers ticket see Archives in Brief No. 13.

Related plans with other organisations

At the Sydney Water Plan Room

In addition to other plans and surveys, Sydney Water holds three series of plans relating to the sewerage system in Sydney:
1. Public Works Department (PWD) 'A Survey of the Sydney area for Sewerage purposes', based on surveys made by the Surveyor Generals Department between 1873 and 1915.

2. Detail Survey Sheets (the '1930's series'), which supplemented the PWD plans and extended coverage to new areas. These were produced between 1917 and 1931.

3. Blackwattle Sheets, based on the PWD plans the Detail Survey sheets as well as surveys by other organisations.
There is no public access to the Plan Room. Researchers should fax enquiries to (02) 9746 4365. There is a fee for research conducted.

At the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW

The Library holds Detail Sheets [Call no. ZM Ser 4 811.17/1] that were produced by the Surveyor General in the 1880's and 1890's. These are almost identical to the PWD series held by Sydney Water. The sheets cover Sydney City, and some suburbs. The sheets show street blocks with accurate outlines of all buildings; sewer shafts and manholes, street numbers of premises. This set of Detail Sheets is digitised and available online on the State Library website.
For further information contact the State Library of NSW:
Telephone (02) 9237 1414.

© State of New South Wales through the State Records Authority, 2003.
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