The Croton River ( ) is a river in southern New York with a watershed area of , and 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 Reservoir. Together, their waters and the reservoirs linked to them represent the northern half of the New York City water system's Croton Watershed. Shortly after the confluence of the three Croton River branches the Croton River proper flows westward into the Muscoot Reservoir, joined separately from the north by the Muscoot River, a tributary. The Muscoot empties into the New Croton Reservoir, which feeds the New Croton Aqueduct, supplying water to the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx for distribution in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Excess water leaves the spillway at the New Croton Dam and empties into the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

at Croton-on-Hudson, New York at Croton Point, about north of New York City.

History

The Croton River was the main source of the city water supply from 1842 to the mid-20th century. Water was brought to the city through the

Croton Aqueduct The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water supply network, water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842. The great aqueduct (water supply), aqueducts, which were among the first in t ...

, later called the Old Croton Aqueduct. The larger New Croton Aqueduct opened in 1890. The Old Croton Aqueduct remained in parallel service until waters from the Catskill and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

Aqueducts could supersede it in 1955. Seeking to expand the city's water supply, engineers of the city Aqueduct Commission designed in 1884 a masonry dam spanning the Croton River near its mouth. The resulting storage reservoir, impounding a watershed, would hold at full capacity. This dam, now known as the New Croton Dam, was completed in 1906. Further upstream, two tributaries of the Croton were dammed, creating the Croton Falls Reservoir, which was placed into service in 1911. In the 1890s, rather than building an expensive filtration system, the city ordered the destruction or relocation of any village or hamlet in the watershed that was considered to be a potential pollution source for the Croton or its tributaries. Many were moved. In the late 1990s, the city stopped using water from the Croton system as it became more and more unsuitable for drinking. In 2004, a project was started to rehabilitate the New Croton Aqueduct and build the Croton Water Filtration Plant, which came online in May 2015. By the early 21st century the Croton system was supplying 10% of the city's water.

Notes

References

Rivers of Westchester County, New York Tributaries of the Hudson River Croton Watershed Rivers of New York (state) {{WestchesterCountyNY-geo-stub

History

See also

Notes

References