East Branch Reservoir, is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in the town of

Southeast, New York Southeast is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States, so named for its location in the southeastern corner of the county. The population was 18,058 at the 2020 census. The town as a whole is informally referred to as Brewster, the town' ...

, near the village of Brewster. Part of the

New York City water supply system A combination of aqueducts, reservoirs, and tunnels supplies fresh water to New York City. With three major water systems ( Croton, Catskill, and Delaware) stretching up to away from the city, its water supply system is one of the most exte ...

, it was formed by impounding the East Branch of the

Croton River The Croton River ( ) is a river in southern New York with three principal tributaries: the West Branch, Middle Branch, and East Branch. Their waters, all part of the New York City water supply system, join downstream from the Croton Falls Rese ...

. Forming part of the

Croton Watershed The Croton Watershed is the New York City water supply system's name for its southernmost watershed and its infrastructure,{{efn, Including dams, spillways, tunnels, pumps, and related mechanical components not part of a hydrological drainage bas ...

, it was placed into service in 1891, and lies some 35 miles (56 km) north of the city, in the southeast corner of Putnam County.

History

The East Branch Reservoir has a surface area of , reaches a mean depth of 32 feet (10 m), and holds at full capacity. It drains a 75-square mile (180 km²) area that includes

Bog Brook Reservoir The Bog Brook Reservoir is a reservoir in the Croton Watershed in southern New York State, part of the New York City water supply system. It is located in the town of Southeast in Putnam County, approximately north of New York City. It was form ...

. Its water flows back into the East Branch of the Croton River south of the dam, then into The Diverting Reservoir, then via the Croton River to the Muscoot and the New Croton reservoirs, into the

New Croton Aqueduct The New Croton Aqueduct is an aqueduct in the New York City water supply system in Westchester County, New York carrying the water of the Croton Watershed. Built roughly parallel to the Old Croton Aqueduct it originally augmented, the new sys ...

. Water from the aqueduct flows into the

Jerome Park Reservoir The Jerome Park Reservoir is a reservoir located in Jerome Park, a neighborhood in the North Bronx, New York City. The reservoir is surrounded by DeWitt Clinton High School, the Bronx High School of Science, Lehman College, and Walton High Scho ...

in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

for daily distribution. One of two double reservoirs in NYC's system, it is connected to the Bog Brook impoundment via a 1,778-foot (547.07 m) tunnel. When the two were being built, the project's name was "Double Reservoir I". The second double reservoir project ("Double Reservoir II") would create the Croton Falls and Diverting reservoirs. The village of Southeast Center, named for the town of Southeast, was leveled and flooded to create the reservoir. Parts of the village remain, including Sodom Road, at the foot of the Sodom Dam, which holds the reservoir back. East Branch Reservoir spillway

Construction of the reservoir also flooded part of the village of Milltown, in the northeastern corner of Southeast, near present-day Deforest Corners. Many of the village's original buildings were moved to higher ground, onto present-day Milltown Road, one of Southeast's longest roads running from

New Fairfield, Connecticut New Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,579 at the 2020 census. New Fairfield is one of five towns that surround Candlewood Lake, the largest lake in Connecticut. The town is located nor ...

, to Route 22 in Southeast. The village of Milltown's 1-room schoolhouse still stands today as a private residence. Foundations, rock walls and roadbeds for both villages can still be seen during droughts.

References

External links

NYCDEP Water Supply Watersheds-Links to information on reservoirs by system
* Croton Watershed Reservoirs in New York (state) Protected areas of Putnam County, New York Reservoirs in Putnam County, New York 1891 establishments in New York (state) {{PutnamCountyNY-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links