The Pepacton Reservoir is a

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 ...

Delaware County, New York Delaware County is a county located in the US state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,308. The county seat is Delhi. The county is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas Wes ...

on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...

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 * ...

. Part of 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 ...

, it was formed by the construction of Downsville Dam, and impounds over one-quarter of the East Branch's flow. The reservoir lies south of the village of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and is northwest of

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 ...

. It is narrow and winding, some long and about across at its widest point. The reservoir is over deep at its maximum point and contains of water at full capacity.Pepacton Reservoir
NYC Environmental Protection This makes it the city water system's largest reservoir by volume. Pepacton Reservoir supplies New York City with nearly 25% of its drinking water. Its water empties into the

East Delaware Tunnel The East Delaware Tunnel is a aqueduct in the New York City water supply system. Located in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, it was constructed within a six-year period between 1949 and 1955 to transport drinking water from the Pepac ...

near the former site of Pepacton, then flows through the aqueduct into the

Rondout Reservoir Rondout Reservoir is part of New York City's water supply network. It is located northwest of the city in the Catskill Mountains, near the southern end of Catskill Park, split between the towns of Wawarsing in Ulster County and Neversink in S ...

, which empties into the Delaware Aqueduct. Flow is then routed under the Hudson into the

West Branch Reservoir The West Branch Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system. Formed by impounding the upper reaches of the West Branch of the Croton River, it is located in the Putnam County, New York, towns of Carmel, and Kent, about ...

Putnam County, New York Putnam County is a County (New York), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 97,668. The county seat is Carmel (hamlet), New York, Carmel, within one of th ...

, then on to the

Kensico Reservoir The Kensico Reservoir is a reservoir in the New York City water supply system. Spanning the towns of North Castle and Mount Pleasant, New York, it was formed by the Kensico Dam in 1885, which impounded waters from the Bronx and Byram rivers. ...

Westchester County Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

just north of

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 there the aqueduct continues on to

Hillview Reservoir The Hillview Reservoir is a storage reservoir in southeastern Yonkers, New York. It was built within a six-year period from 1909–1915 by the New York City Board of Water Supply to receive water from the newly constructed Catskill Aqueduct, ...

, from which it is distributed by tunnel to users in the City. ''Peapackton'' is a

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Native American term meaning "marriage of the waters". The reservoir lies on land New York City purchased in the valley in 1942, and led to the displacement of 974 people, destruction of four hamlets (Arena, Pepacton, Shavertown and Union Grove), and submersion of nearly one-quarter of the

Delaware and Northern Railroad The Delaware and Northern Railroad was a small railroad in Delaware County, New York, that was founded in 1905, and was planned to go from the hamlet of East Branch, where it would make a connection with the New York, Ontario and Western Railwa ...

in the process. The dam, located at Downsville, was finished in 1954, and the flooding was completed in 1955. The reservoir is a significant factor in the local economy of Downsville, as thousands of tourists travel to Downsville each year to fish for

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

. No motor boats are allowed on the reservoir; non-motorized boats that have been steam-cleaned and that have required tags may be used in the reservoir during the summer.Boating

New York City Department of Environmental Protection The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's water supply and works to reduce air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. Under a 1.3 billion do ...

. Accessed October 4, 2023. "All boaters must obtain a free DEP Access Permit and all boats must be steam cleaned by a DEP certified steam cleaning vendor before being placed on a resevoir ic... Recreational boating (boating for non-anglers) is allowed on Cannonsville, Pepacton, Neversink and Schoharie Reservoirs during the summer.... Non-motorized kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and sculls with the appropriate recreational boat tags may be used."

Tributaries

* Mill Brook *

Barkaboom Stream Barkaboom Stream is a river in Delaware County in New York. It flows into the Pepacton Reservoir southwest of Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances ...

Lower Beach Hill Brook Lower Beach Hill Brook is a river in Delaware County in New York. It flows into the Pepacton Reservoir The Pepacton Reservoir is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains of Ne ...

Holliday Brook Holliday Brook is a river in Delaware County in New York. It flows into the Pepacton Reservoir The Pepacton Reservoir is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains of New York ( ...

Bryden Hill Brook Bryden Hill Brook is a river in Delaware County in New York. It flows into the Pepacton Reservoir The Pepacton Reservoir is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains of New Yor ...

Murphy Hill Brook Murphy Hill Brook is a river in Delaware County in New York. It flows into the Pepacton Reservoir The Pepacton Reservoir is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains of New Yor ...

Flynn Brook Flynn Brook is a river in Delaware County in New York. It flows into the Pepacton Reservoir The Pepacton Reservoir is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains of New York (sta ...

* Tremper Kill * Bush Kill

References

{{authority control Delaware River Catskill/Delaware watersheds Reservoirs in New York (state) Protected areas of Delaware County, New York Reservoirs in Delaware County, New York

Tributaries

See also

References