The West Branch 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 ...
in 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 ...
. Formed by impounding the upper reaches of the
West Branch of the Croton River, it is located in the
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 ...
, towns of
Carmel, and
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
, about north 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 ...
.
[West Branch reservoir, New York City Department of Environmental Protection]
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Description
Put into service in 1895, West Branch is one of 12 reservoirs in the system's 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 ...
, and second northernmost. It receives the flow of the upstream Boyds Corner impoundment, and, when needed, of Lake Gleneida, a controlled lake in the City supply system.
Primarily, however, West Branch receives water from the much larger Rondout Reservoir, a collection point for the Cannonsville, Neversink, and Pepacton reservoirs 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 ...
on the west bank of 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 ...
. It serves as a supplementary settling basin for this flow received via the Delaware Aqueduct before releasing its combined waters back into the aqueduct to be carried 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.
...
in southern 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 ...
.[
Combined, the four Delaware System reservoirs account for of watershed and of capacity, of which goes to the city daily — 50% of the entire system's capacity. All this water is fed to West Branch reservoir via the city's Chelsea Pumping Station near ]Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
in Dutchess County
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later org ...
, some from New York City.
During drought periods the West Branch also receives water pumped in directly from the Hudson River by the Chelsea Pumping Station. It was used for this purpose during the 1965–66 and 1985 droughts, as well as during May 1989.
Water in excess of New York City's needs at the West Branch Reservoir goes over its spillway and back into the West Branch Croton River, which is captured downstream by 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 ...
,Yonkers
Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...
, at the city's northern boundary. There it enters the city's direct water supply distribution system, flowing via tunnels through the boroughs 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 ...
, Queens
Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
, and Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. The water finally stops at Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
.
West Branch Reservoir has a 20 square mile (32 km2) drainage basin within the Croton River watershed
''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 River watershed is the drainage basin of the Croton River ...
, and can hold up to of water at full capacity. It consists of two basins, separated by State Route 301.[https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/west-branch-reservoir.page] Building the Reservoir required displacing some of the earliest settlements along the West Branch 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 ...
including Coles Mills.
Delaware Aqueduct repair
The Delaware Aqueduct inflow to the West Branch Reservoir will be shut down from October 2024 to May 2025 while a section of the Aqueduct is being repaired. During that time, the West Branch Reservoir will remain open with natural flow from the Croton River and the Boyd's Corner reservoir. There will be minimal downstream releases to increase the reserve in the Croton system.Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project: Final Connection and Water Supply Management Plan
/ref>
See also
*List of reservoirs and dams in New York
This is a list of dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumptio ...
References
External links
NYCDEP Water Supply Watersheds-Links to information on reservoirs by system
*
{{authority control
Croton Watershed
Reservoirs in New York (state)
Protected areas of Putnam County, New York
Reservoirs in Putnam County, New York