The Písek Municipality decided to build a new water treatment plant in 1899 on the site of an old tilt-hammer, because the original one in Podskalský Mill no longer satisfied the needs of the expanding town. In its time the plant had the best technical and technological parameters. It used the so-called English filtration method, when water slowly passes through 1.5-metre-thick sand layer. The water was delivered to a reservoir on top of Hradišťský Hill, 72 metres above the plant.