Despite Esberg's rapid growth, by the mid-1890s the city's 9,000 inhabitants were still without running water. Instead, they made use of wells and supply points throughout the city. After several unsuccessful borings, a satisfactory source of water was found in the city park, Vognsbølparken. In 1895, it was decided that both gas pipes and water pipes should be installed at the same time in connection with the establishment of a gas works and a water works. The tank in the water tower had a capacity of but consumption grew so fast that in 1904 a supplementary container with a capacity of needed to be installed on Nygårdsvej. It became obvious that from the very start, the container in the water tower had been too small. From 1902, water was pumped directly to the consumers, the containers only being used to store excesses.
