Boyds Corner Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boyds Corner Reservoir |
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 Boyds Corner Reservoir
Location in New York Adirondack Park
Boyds Corner Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | Kent, New York |
| Coordinates | 41°27′31″N 73°45′04″W / 41.4587°N 73.7511°W |
| 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 lake made by people. It is located in Putnam County, New York. You can find it in the town of Kent, New York. This reservoir is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of New York City. It's the northernmost reservoir in the Croton River watershed. However, it's not part of New York City's main water system called the Croton Watershed. The reservoir was made by building a dam across the West Branch of the Croton River. This caused the old village of Boyds Corner to be covered by water.
Building the Dam
The Boyds Corner Dam was finished in 1872. It was special because it was the first time concrete was used in a dam since the Ancient Romans. The dam started working in 1873. It was 78 feet (24 meters) tall. This made Boyds Corner Reservoir the second oldest reservoir for New York City. Only the New Croton Reservoir is older.
How it Works Today
The Boyds Corner Reservoir was first built for the city's Croton water system. Today, it mainly helps the Catskill/Delaware water supply system. This system brings water from far away to New York City.
The area that drains water into the reservoir is about 22 square miles (57 square kilometers). It is quite narrow, only about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide. This area includes the start of the West Branch of the Croton River. It covers parts of Carmel and Putnam Valley in Putnam County. It also reaches into East Fishkill in Dutchess County.
Water Flow
The reservoir can hold about 1.7 billion US gallons (6.4 million cubic meters) of water. This makes it one of the smaller reservoirs in New York City's water system. Water from Boyds Corner flows into the West Branch of the Croton River. Then it goes southeast into the West Branch Reservoir. There, it mixes with water from the Rondout Reservoir. This water comes from west of the Hudson River through the Delaware Aqueduct.
After that, water from the West Branch Reservoir travels through an aqueduct to the Kensico Reservoir. The Kensico Reservoir also gets water from the Catskill system through the Catskill Aqueduct. Once the water settles at Kensico, it flows through two more aqueducts. It ends up at the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers. From there, it enters the pipes that deliver water to homes in New York City.
Extra Water
Sometimes, there is too much water in the West Branch Reservoir. This extra water flows over a spillway back into the West Branch of the Croton River. Then it becomes part of the city's Croton Watershed. This water mixes with water from the Middle Branch of the Croton River at the Croton Falls Reservoir. The water then returns to the West Branch of the Croton River. It joins the main Croton River and flows southwest to the New Croton Reservoir. Any extra water there goes over the New Croton Dam. It then flows down the Croton River until it reaches the Hudson River at Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
Dam Replacement
In the 1980s, all dams in the United States were checked for problems. This happened after the Teton Dam broke in Idaho. It was found that the Boyds Corner Dam, which was over 100 years old, needed to be replaced. Some people thought the dam was fine, but it was taken apart anyway. The reservoir basin was empty for a while.
A new dam was finished in 1990, and the reservoir was filled again. The new dam included a special spillway. This spillway has a 6.1-meter (20-foot) wide "flip bucket" in the middle. They also added strong anchors to make the dam more stable.
