Ashokan Reservoir
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| Ashokan Reservoir | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | Reservoir |
| Primary sources | Esopus Creek |
| Primary outflows | Esopus Creek |
| Basin countries | USA |
| Max-length | 12 mi |
| Max-width | 1 mi |
| Surface area | 8,300 acres |
| Average depth | 14 m |
| Max-depth | 58 m |
| Water volume | 465.2 million m³ |
| Shore length1 | 40 mi |
| Surface elevation | 585 ft |
| 1 Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article. | |
The Ashokan Reservoir is a reservoir in Ulster County, New York, USA. The reservoir is in the eastern end of the Catskill State Park, and is one of several reservoirs created to provide the City of New York with water. However, it is one of only two reservoirs in the Catskill Watershed. It is also New York City's deepest reservoir, being over 190 feet (58.5 metres) deep at its deepest. This site is near the dam at the former site of the Bishop Falls.
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[edit] History
New York City turned to the Catskills for water in the early 20th century after discovering a group of speculators calling itself the Ramapo Water Company had bought up riparian rights to many water sources further south in Rockland, Orange and Ulster counties. The Catskills were more desirable as state-owned Forest Preserve land in the region could not, under the state constitution, be sold to any other party. A recent amendment to that section of the state constitution also allowed up to 3% of the total Forest Preserve land to be flooded for reservoirs.
Residents of the area to be flooded did not take kindly to the idea, and fought eminent domain proceedings bitterly. They were aided by local lawyers familiar with the checkered history of Catskill land claims, and in many cases the city probably paid more than it should have to people who weren't entitled to it. It would be 1940 until the last were settled
Local opponents of the reservoir also cast doubt on its soundness, saying it could never hold enough water (it would be the largest reservoir in the world at the time), but when the it was filled from 1912 to 1914, they were silenced. it covered several communities located in a valley where farming, logging, and quarrying prevailed. Approximately one thousand residents along with roads, homes, shops, farms, churches, and mills were either moved or abandoned, but most of them were torn down. Several of these communities were re-established in nearby locations. 12.45 miles (20 km) of a local railroad line (the Ulster and Delaware Railroad) was moved and cemeteries were relocated.
The dam was constructed mainly by African-American labourers and Italian immigrants, who also did the job of destroying most of the trees and buildings in the area. Fights would often break out in the labor camps where the crew would eat and sleep, so a police force, which would later become the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP, locally referred to as just the DEP), was instated to keep peace in the camps. The dam was constructed with Rosendale cement, which at the time was the world's strongest cement. When the dam was completed, giant steam whistles blew for one hour, signaling to people in the valley to evacuate immediately.
Some relocated communities survive along the reservoir's banks, such as West Shokan, Olivebridge, Ashokan and Shokan. Most, however, such as Brown's Station, are remembered in historical markers along routes 28 and 28A.
[edit] Statistics
The resulting body of water is the oldest New York City-owned reservoir in the Catskill Mountains, being placed into service as long ago as 1915. It is located at the eastern end of Ulster County, being about 13 miles (20.8 kilometres) west of Kingston, New York, and approximately 73 miles (116.8 km) north of New York City. The reservoir is one of NYC's largest according to its surface area and volume. At full capacity, the reservoir can hold 122.9 billion gallons (465.2 million m³) of water, has a 255-square-mile (408-km²) drainage basin, and is over 180 feet (607.5 m) deep at its deepest point, making it the city's deepest reservoir.
The reservoir is encircled by Routes 28 and 28A, along with many relocated villages. It is separated into two basins by Reservoir Rd., which has a causeway that runs over the middle of it. Water does not pass freely between the two basins, and the eastern basin, which borders the relocated villages of Ashokan, Glenford, and West Hurley, along with the non-relocated village of Stony Hollow, is seven inches higher than the western basin. The western basin borders the relocated villages of Boiceville, Brodhead, Olive, Olivebridge, Shokan, and West Shokan. There is also an abandoned road that runs along the spillway of the reservoir, where water runs back into the Esopus Creek by Olivebridge.
Some of this water comes from the Schoharie Reservoir via the 16-mile (25.6 kilometre) Shandaken Tunnel, which empties into the Esopus Creek. It also gets water from said creek and its many tributaries. It flows another 11 miles (17.6 kilometres) to the Ashokan Reservoir. The water then flows into Olivebridge, New York to enter the 92-mile (147.2-km) Catskill Aqueduct. It flows into the Kensico Reservoir, just north of The Bronx, to mix with water from the Delaware Aqueduct. The water flows a few more miles into the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, the main collecting point for the water.
[edit] Permitted Activities
Due to the need to insure the safety of the water system, and to make sure the nearly century-old dams stay intact, only limited activities are permitted around the reservoir property, including fishing and logging. One needs a special licence to do such activities. For instance, if one is to go boating or fishing, which the reservoir is well known to the locals for, one would need a fishing licence that was made after 2002. Otherwise, it is no longer valid.
Also, such activities as swimming and diving are strictly prohibited. This is in order to make sure the water stays as clean as possible. It is also illegal to bring gasoline-powered motorcraft into the reservoir. This is in case gasoline leaks into the water and pollutes it. Pine trees have been planted around around the banks to provide shade, which are denser and provide thicker shade than broad-leaf trees. This is in order to stop algae from growing, which needs sunlight to grow.
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the city and state decided to permanently close the spillway road to vehicular traffic as a security precaution. This has added a great deal more traveling time and distance for those on the south side of the reservoir to reach locations to the north. The city compensates the local school district for the extra fuel costs its buses have incurred. The Reservoir Rd. causeway, however, is still open.
