new croton dam

constructed between 1892 and 1906, the masonry new croton dam measures 266 ft broad at its base and 297 feet high. the dam, plus the spillway pictured below, measures a total length of 2,188 feet.




the dam and reservoir cover 20 sq acres of land, previously occupied by public and private buildings, six cemeteries and over 400 farms.


building the dam meant diverting the river from its normal path and pumping the riverbed dry. To accomplish this, workers dug a crescent-shaped canal 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide in the hill on the north side of the river, secured the canal with a masonry retaining wall, and built temporary dams to control the water flow.


the reservoir now supplies 200 to 400 million gallons of water a day to nyc.

No comments: