Diverting Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Diverting Reservoir |
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 Diverting Reservoir
Location in New York Adirondack Park
Diverting Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | Putnam County, New York |
| Coordinates | 41°23′01″N 73°37′48″W / 41.3837°N 73.6299°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
The Diverting Reservoir is a special lake built to store water. It is an important part of the New York City water supply system. This reservoir is located in Putnam County, New York, near the village of Brewster, New York. It is about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City.
Workers started building the Diverting Reservoir in the early 1900s. They finished it by 1911. The reservoir was created by holding back the waters of the East Branch Croton River.
Contents
What is the Diverting Reservoir?
The Diverting Reservoir is a man-made lake. It helps provide clean drinking water to millions of people in New York City. It is part of a larger network of reservoirs and pipes. This network is called the Croton Watershed.
How Much Water Does It Hold?
The Diverting Reservoir can hold about 900 million US gallons (3.4 million cubic meters) of water. This makes it the smallest reservoir in the New York City water supply system outside the city itself.
The water that flows into the reservoir comes from an area called its drainage basin. This basin covers about 8 square miles (21 square kilometers). It includes all the smaller lakes, streams, and rivers that feed into the reservoir.
How Water Flows Through the System
The Diverting Reservoir is connected to other nearby reservoirs. It has a channel that links it to the Croton Falls Reservoir. Water can move freely between these two reservoirs.
The Journey of Water
Water from the Diverting Reservoir flows into the rest of the East Branch Croton River. This river then joins other branches, like the West Branch and Middle Branch. All these waters eventually reach the Muscoot Reservoir. This reservoir collects most of the water from the Croton Watershed.
From Muscoot, the water continues to the New Croton Reservoir. This is the final collection point in the Croton system. After that, the water enters the New Croton Aqueduct. An aqueduct is like a giant pipe that carries water.
The water travels through the aqueduct to The Bronx borough of New York City. It then goes to the Jerome Park Reservoir. From there, it flows into Manhattan. In Manhattan, it mixes with water from another system, the Catskill Aqueduct. Together, these waters travel through Brooklyn and end up in Staten Island.
Keeping the Reservoir Safe
In 2007, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection started a big project. They wanted to make improvements to both the Croton Falls Reservoir and the Diverting Reservoir. This project cost about $74 million.
Why Improvements Are Needed
These upgrades were important for safety. They help the city follow rules about dam safety. The work at the Diverting Reservoir included putting in new valves and pipes. They also fixed the spillway and some concrete parts of the dam. The dam is about 55 feet (17 meters) high.
The channel connecting the Diverting Reservoir to the Croton Falls Reservoir was also checked. It was emptied and cleaned. All this work helps make sure the reservoirs stay safe and can keep providing clean water. The project was expected to finish by early 2010.
