Boyds Corner Reservoir

Boyds Corner Reservoir
Location Kent, New York
Coordinates 41°27′31″N 73°45′04″W / 41.4587°N 73.7511°W / 41.4587; -73.7511Coordinates: 41°27′31″N 73°45′04″W / 41.4587°N 73.7511°W / 41.4587; -73.7511
Type reservoir
Primary inflows West Branch of the Croton River
Primary outflows West Branch of the Croton River
Catchment area 22 sq mi (57 km2)
Basin countries United States

The Boyds Corner Reservoir is a small reservoir in Putnam County, New York. It is in the town of Kent, New York, and is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of New York City. It is the northernmost reservoir in the Croton Watershed, and was formed by impounding the middle of the West Branch of the Croton River, submerging the village of Boyds Corner.[1]

Completed in 1872, the Boyds Corner Dam saw the use of concrete in dam construction for the first time since the Ancient Romans. It was put into service in 1873, 78 feet high,[2] and is the City's second oldest reservoir (after the Croton Reservoir). Originally constructed as part of the City's Croton system, Boyds Corner today serves mainly as part of the Catskill/Delaware water supply system.[3]

The reservoir can hold 1.7 billion US gallons (6,400,000 m3). This makes it one of the smaller reservoirs in New York City's water supply system. The water that does not go to New York City flows out of the West Branch, and heads toward the end of the Croton River, passing through four more reservoirs along the way, and empties out into the Hudson River.

Water from Boyds Corner flows briefly into the Croton River and then continues southeast to enter the City's West Branch Reservoir, where it mixes with water carried from the Rondout Reservoir, west of the Hudson River, through the Delaware Aqueduct. From the West Branch, it ordinarily flows into the Kensico Reservoir, which also receives water from the Catskill system through the Catskill Aqueduct. After settling at Kensico, the water flows through two aqueducts to the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, where it enters the City's distribution system. This system delivers water throughout the city via a network of pipes and tunnels.

The Boyds Corner watershed drainage basin is 22 square miles (57 km2) and a mere 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length. It includes portions of the Towns of Carmel and Putnam Valley in Putnam County, and East Fishkill in Dutchess County.

After the Teton Dam failure on the Snake River in Idaho, it was ordered that all dams in the United States be inspected for weaknesses and deterioration. In the 1980s it was discovered that, as it was then over 100 years old, the Boyds Corner Dam was in such poor shape that it was beyond repair and needed to be dismantled and rebuilt. Even though there was opposition to this by those who believed the dam was in good condition, the dam was taken down, and what was once the reservoir stood empty until the new dam was completed in 1990. The reconstruction included the addition of a new spillway with a 6.1m wide flip bucket in the central dam section and the use of post-tensioned anchors to increase dam stability. After reconstruction, the reservoir was refilled to capacity.

References

  1. ↑ "Boyds Corners". Nyc.gov. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  2. ↑ "Boyds Corner Dam". Findlakes.com. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  3. ↑ "Preservation Report". Lehman.cuny.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
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