This is a street view of the Munjoy Hill Reservoir, with the standpipe shown to the right. The reservoir was 370 feet in length, and had an average depth of 38 feet. The overflow system kept the surface water moving at all times with the overflow emptying into Back Bay. The supply of water in this reservoir was kept for emergency purposes only.

The Portland Water Company began distributing water to Portland in 1869 by pumping water from Sebago Lake into the Bramhall Reservoir in Portland. From the Bramhall Reservoir, water was then pumped to city distribution pipes. In the mid 1880s the population of Portland had grown such that the need for a second reservoir was necessary.

The Munjoy Hill Reservoir was completed in 1889 and had a capacity of 20 million gallons. In 1893 the reservoir burst due to a defective overflow. The reservoir was rebuilt and repaired and it's use continued until 1970.