''This page is about the Croton River watershed, a hydrological feature. For the component of the New York City water supply system with a similar name, see''

Croton Watershed The Croton Watershed is the New York City water supply system's name for its southernmost watershed and its infrastructure, an organized entity rather than a mere hydrological feature. Spanning large swaths of Putnam and Westchester counties ...

The Croton River watershed is the drainage basin of the

Croton River 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 downstr ...

and its seven tributary rivers, a hydrological feature in far southeastern

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. Spanning large swaths of Putnam and Westchester counties, it is over in area and holds some of fresh water. Largely physically overlapping the

New York City water supply system The New York City water supply system is a combination of Aqueduct (water supply), aqueducts, reservoirs, and tunnels which supplies fresh water to New York City. With three major water systems (New Croton Aqueduct, Croton, Catskill Aqueduct, Ca ...

's engineered

, the Croton River watershed represents the drainage and flow of some seven rivers, one dozen

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

s, three controlled lakes,New York State Department of Health Regulations, Part 128-1.6(a)(20) - Definitions: Controlled lake
/ref> Lake Mahopac, and countless smaller lakes and ponds. The vast majority of the Croton River watershed water ends up in the

New Croton Reservoir The New Croton Reservoir is a reservoir in Westchester County, New York, part of the New York City water supply system lying approximately north of New York City. It is the collecting point for water from all reservoirs in the Croton Watershed ...

, then is taken via the

New Croton Aqueduct The New Croton Aqueduct is an aqueduct in the New York City water supply system, carrying the waters of the Croton Watershed from the New Croton Dam in Westchester County, New York, to the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx. Built roughly ...

to the

Jerome Park Reservoir The Jerome Park Reservoir is a reservoir of the New York City water supply system located in Jerome Park in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. History The reservoir was completed in 1906, built to receive the waters of the New York Ci ...

in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, from which it is distributed to New York City. Water in excess of the City's needs spills over the

New Croton Dam The New Croton Dam is a masonry gravity dam forming the New Croton Reservoir, both parts of the New York City water supply system. It stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, about north of New York City. Construction ...

at the New Croton Reservoir and is carried by the Croton River 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 ...

Croton-on-Hudson, New York Croton-on-Hudson ( ) is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2020 United States census over 8,070 at ...

, about 30 miles north of the Metropolitan area.

Definition

The Croton River watershed is a hydrological feature, the drainage basin of the

and its tributaries. It is not synonymous with the

, a term describing the rivers, reservoirs, dams, pump systems, and other infrastructure of the southernmost watershed of the

. Numerous small natural lakes and ponds, as well as large Lake Mahopac, are within the river's watershed and ultimately drain into it, but are not owned, leased, or controlled by the City water supply system. A map of the actual Croton Watershed is foun
here.
The

( ) is a river in southern

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

with three principal tributaries: the West Branch, Middle Branch, and East Branch. Their waters, all part of the City water supply system, join downstream from the

Croton Falls Reservoir The Croton Falls Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system in the Putnam County, New York townships of Carmel, and Southeast, roughly north of New York City. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it was formed by imp ...

. 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, along with its tributary, the

Muscoot River The Muscoot River is a short tributary of the Croton River in Putnam County, New York, Putnam and Westchester County, New York, Westchester counties in the state of New York (state), New York. Approximately long and running irregularly southe ...

, flow into the

Muscoot Reservoir The Muscoot Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system in northern Westchester County, New York, located directly north of the village of Katonah. Part of the system's Croton Watershed, it is north of the City. History ...

, after which it empties into the

, which feeds the

supplying water to

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 ...

via the

in the

. Excess water leaves the spillway at the

and empties into the

at Croton Point, at

, about north of New York City.

Watershed

Waterways

** West Branch ** Middle Branch ** East Branch * Titicus River *

* Cross River

Lakes and ponds

* Lake Mahopac * Lake Carmel * Long Pond (Carmel)

Reservoirs

* Boyds Corner * West Branch * Middle Branch * Croton Falls / Diverting * East Branch / Bog Brook * Titicus * Cross River * Amawalk * Muscoot * New Croton

Controlled lakes

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning 'church'. The term ''the Kirk'' is often used informally to refer specifically to the Church of Scotland, the Scottish national church that developed from the 16th-century Reformation ...

Gilead Gilead or Gilad (, ; ''Gilʿāḏ'', , ''Jalʻād'') is the ancient, historic, biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region of Transjordan.''Easton's Bible Dictionary'Galeed''/ref> The region is bounded in the west by the J ...

* Gleneida

Aqueduct

* The

, completed in 1890, brings water from the

in Westchester and Putnam counties.

Recreation

Limited recreation is permitted within the Croton Watershed. Its guidelines and requirements are liste
here

Notes

References

External links

NYC DEP Watershed Recreation
{{coord missing, Hudson Valley Water infrastructure of New York City Watersheds of the United States