 In 1908 , Erie started building a waterworks on Presque Isle to provide fresh water for the city . Water from Lake Erie was pumped into two reservoirs on the peninsula , where particulates in the water were allowed to settle , removing them from the lake water . After treatment , the water flowed into the waterlines of the city . In 1917 a pumphouse powered by a steam boiler and engine was built : this pumped the water from one basin into the other , then across Presque Isle Bay to Erie . This system of supplying drinking water for Erie operated until 1949 . The pumphouse is now used for zebra mussel control and as a concession stand for bicycle and quadracycle @-@ rentals within the state park . 
