| Croton Falls Reservoir | |
|---|---|
| Location | Putnam County, New York |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | West Branch and Middle Branch of the Croton River |
| Catchment area | 16 sq mi (41 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Water volume | 14,200,000,000 US gal (0.054 km3) |
The Croton Falls Reservoir is a small reservoir that is located in Putnam County, New York in the Croton Watershed. It is within the townships of Carmel, New York, and Southeast, New York, making it over 30 miles (48 kilometres) north of New York City, which the reservoir supplies water to. It was formed by impounding the West Branch and Middle Branch of the Croton River, which are tributaries of the Muscoot River, which in turn is a tributary of the Croton River, which flows into the Hudson River.
The resulting reservoir, which was placed into service in 1911, can hold 14.2 billion US gallons (54,000,000 m3) of water at full capacity, and has a drainage basin of 16 square miles (25.6 km²). This includes all the bodies of water that flow into the reservoir, except for other reservoirs. Water sources in the basin include Michaels Brook, and Lake Gilead, one of four controlled lakes in the Croton Watershed. The reservoir itself is split into three portions by Putnam County Routes 35 and 38, which cross over the reservoir with causeways and bridges.
The drinking water that comes from the reservoir flows through the Muscoot Reservoir in Westchester County, New York, and then enters the New Croton Reservoir to enter the New Croton Aqueduct. It finally enters New York City, flowing through The Bronx and into the Jerome Park Reservoir, which is located in said borough. It then flows into Manhattan, where it joins the Catskill Aqueduct. It finally flows through the rest of Manhattan, and enters the borough of Brooklyn, coming to a stop at Staten Island.
In January 2007, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection reportedly began a $74 million project of improvements to the Croton Falls Reservoir and the Diverting Reservoir.[1] The upgrading and rehabilitation is part of the city's effort to comply with state and federal dam safety regulations. At the Croton Falls Reservoir, the spillway - the structure that allows excess water to leave the reservoir - will be widened and deepened. The nearly 100-foot (30 m) tall earthen and masonry dam will be resurfaced, a new bridge will be built over the redone spillway and various mechanical items, such as valves, will be replaced. In addition, cables anchoring the dam and spillway to the bedrock will be installed. The work will require the reservoir to be deepened 4 feet (1.2 m). The connecting channel between the two reservoirs will be emptied, inspected and dredged. Construction at both sites is expected to continue until Jan. 31, 2010.