Brisbane's water supply during the convict era came from a reservoir in present-day Tank Street in the Brisbane central business district. There was no pipe network; the water was delivered by water carts to households who stored their water in barrels. The water was described as having "a pea-soup colour and consistency" which required the householders to add wood ashes or alum to their water barrels to precipitate the yellow sediments. On establishment of the Brisbane Municipal Council in 1859, one of their first tasks was to plan a better water supply for the growing town.