Ashokan Reservoir
Ashokan Reservoir from Wittenberg Mountain. Samuels Point is in the background. Circa 2006.
Coordinates	41°57′N 74°13′W
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary sources	Esopus Creek
Primary outflows	Esopus Creek
Basin countries	New York
Max-length	12 mi
Max-width	1 mi
Surface area	8,300 acres
Average depth	47 ft
Max-depth	180 ft
Water volume	465.2 million m³
Surface elevation	585 ft

The Ashokan Reservoir is a reservoir in Ulster County, New York, USA. The reservoir is in the eastern end of the Catskill State Park, and is one of several reservoirs created to provide the City of New York with water. However, it is one of only two reservoirs in the Catskill Watershed. It is also New York City's deepest reservoir, being over 180 feet (585 metres) deep at its deepest. This site is near the dam at the former site of the Bishop Falls. Image File history File linksMetadata Ashokan_Reservoir_from_Wittenberg. ... ... Esopus Creek is a small river in southeastern New York, USA. Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River and joins that river by the Village of Saugerties in the northeast corner of Ulster County. ... Esopus Creek is a small river in southeastern New York, USA. Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River and joins that river by the Village of Saugerties in the northeast corner of Ulster County. ... A drainage basin is the area within the drainage basin divide (yellow outline), and drains the surface runoff and river discharge (blue lines) of a contiguous area. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Gelmersee is a reservoir in Switzerland. ... Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the states beautiful Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... The Catskill State Park, also called Catskill Park, is in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the United States. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ...

History

New York City turned to the Catskills for water in the early 20th century after discovering a group of speculators calling itself the Ramapo Water Company had bought up riparian rights to many water sources further south in Rockland, Orange and Ulster counties. The Catskills were more desirable as state-owned Forest Preserve land in the region could not, under the state constitution, be sold to any other party. A recent amendment to that section of the state constitution also allowed up to 3% of the total Forest Preserve land to be flooded for reservoirs. Speculation is the buying, holding, and selling of stocks, commodities, futures, currencies, collectibles, real estate, or any valuable thing to profit from fluctuations in its price as opposed to buying it for use or for income - dividends, rent etc. ... Rockland County is a county located in the state of New York. ... The Orange County Government Center in Goshen, N.Y., designed by Paul Rudolph. ... Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the states beautiful Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. ... New Yorks Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks. ...

Residents of the area to be flooded did not take kindly to the idea, and fought eminent domain proceedings bitterly. They were aided by local lawyers familiar with the checkered history of Catskill land claims, and in many cases the city probably paid more than it should have to people who weren't entitled to it. It would be 1940 until the last were settled Eminent domain (US), compulsory purchase (United Kingdom, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland), compulsory acquisition (Australia) or expropriation (Canada, South Africa) in common law legal systems is the lawful power of the state to expropriate private property without the owners consent, either for its own use or on behalf of... In law there are two main meanings of the word settlement. ...

Local opponents of the reservoir also cast doubt on its soundness, saying it could never hold enough water, but when the it was filled from 1912 to 1914, they were silenced. it covered several communities located in a valley where farming, logging, and quarrying prevailed. Approximately one thousand residents along with roads, homes, shops, farms, churches, and mills were either moved or abandoned, but most of them were torn down. Several of these communities were re-established in nearby locations. 12.45 miles (20 km) of a local railroad line (the Ulster and Delaware Railroad) was moved and cemeteries were relocated. 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Ulster and Delaware Railroad was a small New York railroad that started at Kingston Point, in the Hudson Valley, went to its headquarters at Rondout, a mile away, and went through the heart of the Catskills, until it reached Oneonta. ...

Some relocated communities survive along the reservoir's banks, such as West Shokan, Olivebridge, Ashokan and Shokan. Most, however, such as Brown's Station, are remembered in historical markers along routes 28 and 28A. Browns Station, New York was a village located in the Esopus Valley in southeastern Ulster County, New York. ... New York State Route 28 is a New York State highway that runs between Kingston and Warren County. ... Junction Location NY-28 NY-213 (WT) NY-28 Legend New York State Routes Current - Deleted New York State Route 28A is located in Ulster County, where it runs along the south side of Ashokan Reservoir in the Catskill Park. ...

Statistics

The resulting body of water is the oldest New York City-owned reservoior in the Catskill Mountains, being placed into service as long ago as 1915. It is located at the eastern end of Ulster County, being about 13 miles (20.8 kilometres) west of Kingston, New York, and approximately 73 miles (116.8 km) north of New York City. The reservoir is one of NYC's largest according to its surface area and volume. At full capacity, the reservoir can hold 122.9 billion gallons (465.2 million m³) of water, has a 255-square-mile (408-km²) drainage basin, and is over 180 feet (607.5 m) deep at its deepest point, making it the city's deepest reservoir. Catskill Escarpment and Blackhead Range as seen from Overlook Mountain The Catskill Mountains (also known as simply the Catskills) a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are not, despite their popular name, true geological mountains, but rather a mature dissected plateau... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York. ... Kingston is a city in Ulster County, New York, United States. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... The gallon (abbreviation: gal) is an English unit of volume. ...

The reservoir is encircled by Routes 28 and 28A, along with many relocated villages. It is seperated into two basins by Reservoir Rd., which has a causeway that runs over the middle of it. Water does not pass freely between the two basins, and the eastern basin, which borders the relocated villages of Ashokan, Glenford, and West Hurley, along with the non-relocated village of Stony Hollow, is seven inches higher than the western basin. The western basin borders the relocated villages of Boiceville, Brodhead, Olive, Olivebridge, Shokan, and West Shokan. There is also an abandoned road that runs along the spillway of the reservoir, where water runs back into the Esopus Creek by Olivebridge. New York State Route 28 is a New York State highway that runs between Kingston and Warren County. ... Junction Location NY-28 NY-213 (WT) NY-28 Legend New York State Routes Current - Deleted New York State Route 28A is located in Ulster County, where it runs along the south side of Ashokan Reservoir in the Catskill Park. ... Esopus Creek is a small river in southeastern New York, USA. Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River and joins that river by the Village of Saugerties in the northeast corner of Ulster County. ...

Some of this water comes from the Schoharie Reservoir via the 16-mile (25.6 kilometre) Shandaken Tunnel, which empties into the Esopus Creek. It also gets water from said creek and its many tributaries. It flows another 11 miles (17.6 kilometres) to the Ashokan Reservoir. The water then flows into Olivebridge, New York to enter the 92-mile (147.2-km) Catskill Aqueduct. It flows into the Kensico Reservoir, just north of The Bronx, to mix with water from the Delaware Aqueduct. The water flows a few more miles into the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, the main collecting point for the water. The Schoharie Reservoir is located about 36 miles (57. ... The Shandaken Tunnel is an underground tunnel in Eastern New York State, and is part of the New York City Water Supply System. ... Esopus Creek is a small river in southeastern New York, USA. Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River and joins that river by the Village of Saugerties in the northeast corner of Ulster County. ... The Catskill Aqueduct is an aqueduct that takes water from the Ashokan Reservoir and the Schoharie Reservoir (water flows from the Schoharie Reservoir into the Ashokan Reservoir), and brings it down to New York City. ... The Kensico Reservoir is a reservoir located in Westchester County, New York that was put into service in 1915. ... The Bronx is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City in the United States. ... The Delaware Aqueduct is an aqueduct that takes water from the headwaters of the Delaware River in New York State to the Kensico Reservoir in Westchester County just north of the Bronx and forms the bulk of New York Citys drinking water supply. ... Yonkers, just north of New York City in Westchester County, is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of New York, with a population of 196,086 (according to the 2000 census). ...

Permitted Activities

Due to the need to insure the safety of the water system, and to make sure the nearly century-old dams stay intact, only limited activities are permitted around the reservoir property, including fishing and logging. One needs a special licence to do such activities. For instance, if one is to go boating or fishing, which the reservoir is well known to the locals for, one would need a fishing licence that was made after 2002. Otherwise, it is no longer valid. Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ... Loggers on break, c. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Also, such activities as swimming and diving are strictly prohibited. This is in order to make sure the water stays as clean as possible. It is also illegal to bring electric- or gasoline-powered motorcraft into the reservoir. This is in case the reservoir is shocked by a possible electrical malfunction, or if gasoline leaks into the water. Pine trees have been planted around around the banks to provide shade. This is in order to stop algae from growing, which needs sunlight to grow. The article on electrical energy is located elsewhere. ... petrol) or Gasoline is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... This article deals with the tree; for the e-mail client see Pine email client Species About 115. ...

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the city and state decided to permanently close the spillway road to vehicular traffic as a security precaution. This has added a great deal more traveling time and distance for those on the south side of the reservoir to reach locations to the north. The city compensates the local school district for the extra fuel costs its buses have incurred. The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... Spillway of Llyn Brianne dam in Wales A Spillway is a structure used to provide for the controlled release of flood flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that has been dammed. ...

External links

• Informal history of the Ashokan Reservoir