Croton River
{{short description|River in New York, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
The Croton River ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|r|oʊ|t|ən}} {{respell|KROH|tən}}) is a river in southern New York with a watershed area of {{convert|361|sqmi|km2}}, and three principal tributaries: the West Branch, Middle Branch, and East Branch. Their waters, all part of the New York City water supply system,{{Cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/dep_projects/croton_wide.shtml |title=Map of the Croton Watershed, at New York City Department of Environmental Protection |access-date=2019-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221000059/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/dep_projects/croton_wide.shtml |archive-date=2019-02-21 |url-status=dead }} join downstream from the Croton Falls Reservoir.{{efn|As a result of dam construction, the waters of the Middle and West Branches mingle in Croton Falls Reservoir before exiting as a brief stretch of the West Branch alone, which joins the East Branch at the confluence of the Croton River proper.}} 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 flows westward into the Muscoot Reservoir, joined separately from the north by the Muscoot River, a tributary. The Muscoot empties into the New Croton Reservoir, which feeds the New Croton Aqueduct, supplying water to the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx for distribution in New York City. Excess water leaves the spillway at the New Croton Dam and empties into the Hudson River at Croton-on-Hudson, New York at Croton Point, about {{convert|30|mi|km|sigfig=1}} north of New York City.{{cite book|author=Institution of Civil Engineers (Great Britain)|title=Minutes of proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4w1AAAAMAAJ|access-date=24 October 2011|year=1901|publisher=The Institution}}
History
File:New Croton Dam NY1.jpg, the flow of its three branches are collected at the New Croton Reservoir. Pictured, New Croton Dam]]
File:Croton River Just Downstream from Croton Dam.jpg]]
The Croton River was the main source of the city water supply from 1842 to the mid-20th century. Water was brought to the city through the Croton Aqueduct, later called the Old Croton Aqueduct.{{cite web |title=NYC DEP Completes Rehab of 124 Year-old New Croton Aqueduct |url=http://tunnelingonline.com/nyc-dep-completes-rehab-124-year-old-new-croton-aqueduct/ |date=2014-02-25 |website=Tunnel Business Magazine |publisher=Benjamin Media}} The larger New Croton Aqueduct opened in 1890.{{cite news |title=The New Aqueduct Opened; Water Flowing at One-Third the Reservoir's Capacity |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9805E6DC133BE533A25755C1A9619C94619ED7CF |work=The New York Times |date=July 16, 1890}} The Old Croton Aqueduct remained in parallel service until waters from the Catskill and Delaware Aqueducts could supersede it in 1955.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/20/arts/old-croton-aquaduct-for-walkers-not-water.html |title=Old Croton Aqueduct For Walkers, Not Water |last=Dechillo |first=Suzanne |date=February 20, 1987 |work=The New York Times}}
Seeking to expand the city's water supply, engineers of the city Aqueduct Commission designed in 1884 a {{convert|275|to|300|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} masonry dam spanning the Croton River near its mouth. The resulting storage reservoir, impounding a {{convert|16|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} watershed, would hold {{convert|14.2|e9usgal|m3}} at full capacity.{{cite journal |last=Wegmann |first=Edward |title=Discussion on Design of Masonry Dams |journal=Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers |volume=75 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PNFMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA163 |date=December 1912 |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers |location=New York, NY |id=Paper No. 1221 |page=163}} This dam, now known as the New Croton Dam, was completed in 1906. Further upstream, two tributaries of the Croton were dammed, creating the Croton Falls Reservoir, which was placed into service in 1911.
In the 1890s, rather than building an expensive filtration system, the city ordered the destruction or relocation of any village or hamlet in the watershed that was considered to be a potential pollution source for the Croton or its tributaries. Many were moved.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}
In the late 1990s, the city stopped using water from the Croton system as it became more and more unsuitable for drinking. In 2004, a project was started to rehabilitate the New Croton Aqueduct and build the Croton Water Filtration Plant, which came online in May 2015.{{cite magazine |last1=Gonchar |first1=Joann |title=Croton Water Filtration Plant |url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/11550-croton-water-filtration-plant |magazine=Architectural Record |publisher=BNP Media |date=March 1, 2016}} By the early 21st century the Croton system was supplying 10% of the city's water.{{cite news |last=Rueb |first=Emily S. |title=How New York Gets Its Water |work=The New York Times |date=March 24, 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/24/nyregion/how-nyc-gets-its-water-new-york-101.html}}
See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NYCwater}}
{{Dutchess County, NY watersheds}}
{{Hudson River}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|41|11|12|N|73|52|36|W|type:river_region:US-NY|display=title}}
Category:Rivers of Westchester County, New York