Catskill Aqueduct facts for kids
.jpg)
The Catskill Aqueduct is like a super-long, underground river that brings fresh drinking water from the Catskill Mountains all the way to New York City. It's a really important part of the New York City water supply system.
This amazing aqueduct (which is a fancy word for a water channel) carries water from two big lakes, called the Schoharie and Ashokan reservoirs, located in Ulster County. The water travels about 92-mile (148 km) to reach the Kensico Dam in Westchester County, New York. There, it mixes with other water sources before continuing its journey to the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers. From there, it's sent out to homes and businesses all over New York City!
Building a Water Giant
_(14761213754).jpg)
Building the Catskill Aqueduct was a huge project that started in 1907. Engineers had to dig many test holes deep into the ground. This was to make sure the soil and rocks were strong enough to hold the massive reservoirs, tunnels, and dams. They also needed to ensure the water wouldn't leak out.
The main part of the aqueduct was finished in 1916. The entire system, including all the dams and tunnels, was completed in 1924. It cost a lot of money to build, about $177 million back then, which would be many billions of dollars today!
How the Aqueduct Works
.jpg)
The Catskill Aqueduct is 92-mile (148 km) long and is made up of different sections:
- Cut and Cover: About 55 miles (89 km) of the aqueduct was built using a method called "cut and cover." This means they dug a trench, built a concrete channel in it, and then covered it back up.
- Tunnels: Over 14 miles (23 km) are tunnels dug through hills, and 17 miles (27 km) are "pressure tunnels" that go deep underground, even under rivers.
- Siphons: About nine miles (14 km) are "steel siphons," which are like giant pipes that carry water across valleys.
To build these parts, workers dug 67 shafts (deep holes) into the ground. These shafts were between 174 to 1,187 feet (53 to 362 m) deep! Water flows through the aqueduct by gravity, meaning it moves downhill naturally, at a speed of about 4 feet per second (1.2 m/s).
The aqueduct can carry a huge amount of water – about 550 million US gallons (2,100,000 m3) (that's 550 million gallons!) every day in its northern sections. Closer to New York City, it can carry even more, about 880 million US gallons (3,300,000 m3) daily. On average, it supplies about 350–400 million US gallons (1,300,000–1,500,000 m3) of water each day, which is about 40% of all the water New York City uses!
Where the Water Travels
The journey of the water begins at the Ashokan Reservoir in Olivebridge, New York. This reservoir collects water from its own area and also from the Schoharie Reservoir upstream.
From Ashokan, the aqueduct travels southeast. It goes deep underground, tunneling beneath the Rondout Creek and the Wallkill River in Ulster County. Then it continues into Orange County.
One of the most amazing parts of its journey is crossing the Hudson River. The aqueduct tunnels 1,100 feet (340 m) (that's over a thousand feet!) below the river, from Storm King Mountain on the west side to Breakneck Mountain on the east side in Putnam County.
Finally, the water enters Westchester County and reaches the Kensico Reservoir. Here, it mixes with water from the Kensico area and also from another major water pipe, the city's Delaware Aqueduct. The water then flows to the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers. From Hillview, it enters City Tunnels 1 and 2, which deliver the water directly to New York City.
See also
- Delaware Aqueduct
- New York City water supply system
- Frank E. Winsor the engineer who helped build 32 miles (51 km) of the Aqueduct.
