Ashokan Reservoir
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Ashokan Reservoir | ||
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Primary inflows Esopus Creek | | |
Primary outflows | Esopus Creek | |
Basin countries | United States | |
Max. length | 12 mi (19 km) | |
Max. width | 1 mi (2 km) | |
Surface area | 8,300 acres (3,400 ha) | |
Average depth | 46 ft (14 m) | |
Max. depth | 190 ft (58 m) | |
Water volume | 122.9 billion US gal (465 million m3) | |
Shore length1 | 40 mi (60 km) | |
Surface elevation | 585 ft (178 m) | |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
The Ashokan Reservoir (
History
In 1905 the New York State Legislature enacted legislation that created the New York City Board of Water Supply and allowed the city to acquire lands and build dams, reservoirs and aqueducts in the Catskills.[2]
Local opponents of the reservoir cast doubt on its soundness, saying it could never hold enough water (it would be one of the largest reservoirs in the world at the time),
The Ashokan Reservoir was constructed between 1907 and 1915, by the New York City Board of Water Supply, by impounding the Esopus Creek.[2] Thousands of acres of farmland were submerged.[3] The impoundment covered twelve communities located in a valley where farming, logging, and quarrying prevailed. Approximately two thousand residents[2] along with roads, homes, shops, farms, churches, and mills were either moved or abandoned, but most of them were torn down. According to Bob Steuding, a humanities professor at Ulster County Community College in Stone Ridge, the area that became the West Basin of the reservoir contained 504 dwellings, nine blacksmith shops, 35 stores, 10 churches, 10 schools, seven sawmills and a gristmill.[3] Several of these communities were re-established in nearby locations. Nearly twelve and a half miles (20.1 km) of a local railroad line (the Ulster and Delaware Railroad) was moved and cemeteries were relocated.
The dam was constructed mainly by local laborers,[citation needed] as well as African-Americans and Italian immigrants, who also did the job of razing most of the trees and buildings in the area. Fights would often break out in the labor camps where the crews would eat and sleep, so a police force, which would later become the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) Police, was established 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, including
Statistics
The resulting body of water is the oldest New York City–owned reservoir in the
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 lower 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
Permitted activities
Due to the need to ensure 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. A special license is required for such activities. For instance, to go boating or fishing, a public access permit is needed that was issued after 2002. Otherwise, it is no longer valid.
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 and spruce trees were planted around the banks at the time of dam and lake construction to prevent erosion. It was also believed by engineers of the time that broad-leaved deciduous trees polluted the water with nutrients more so than conifers.
After the September 11 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 Road causeway, however, is still open.
See also
- Ashokan Center
- Ashokan Farewell
- List of reservoirs and dams in New York
References
- OCLC 4279873. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
- ^ a b c ""History of the NYC Water supply", Catskill Watershed Corporation". Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
- ^ a b c "Loftin, A.J. "The Ashokan Reservoir", Hudson Valley Magazine, July 17, 2008". Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
Further reading
- Steuding, Bob (1989). The last of the handmade dams : the story of the Ashokan Reservoir (Rev. ed.). Fleischmanns, N.Y.: Purple Mountain Press. ISBN 978-0935796001.
External links
- Deepwater, a documentary about the reservoir
- NYCDEP Recreational Use Permit Application
- "A Great Catskill Lake Planned". The Sun. October 11, 1903. p. 19.