The Pepacton Reservoir, also known as the Downsville Reservoir, is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

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 West, ...

on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the

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

of New York. Part of the

New York City water supply system A combination of aqueducts, reservoirs, and tunnels supplies fresh water to New York City. With three major water systems ( Croton, Catskill, and Delaware) stretching up to away from the city, its water supply system is one of the most exte ...

, 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, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

and is northwest of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. 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. This makes it the city water system's largest reservoir by volume.Pepacton Reservoir

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 June 23, 2022. "It consists of one basin, approximately 15 miles in length and holds 140.2 billion gallons at full capacity, making it the largest reservoir in the City system by volume. It was placed into service in 1955." Pepacton Reservoir supplies New York City with nearly 25% of its drinking water. Its water empties into the East Delaware Tunnel 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 75 miles (120 km) northwest of the city in the Catskill Mountains, near the southern end of Catskill Park, split between the towns of Wawarsing in Ulster County ...

, which empties into the

Delaware Aqueduct The Delaware Aqueduct is an aqueduct in the New York City water supply system. It takes water from the Rondout, Cannonsville, Neversink, and Pepacton reservoirs on the west bank of the Hudson River through the Chelsea Pump Station, then into ...

. 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 Kent, and Carmel, about ...

Putnam County, New York Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,668. The county seat is Carmel. Putnam County formed in 1812 from Dutchess County and is named for Israel Putnam, a hero in the ...

, then on to the

Kensico Reservoir The Kensico Reservoir is a reservoir spanning the towns of Armonk ( North Castle) and Valhalla ( Mount Pleasant), New York, located 3 miles (5 km) north of White Plains. It was formed by the original earth and gravel Kensico Dam constructed in 18 ...

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

just north of

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. 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, w ...

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

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

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 towns (Arena, Pepacton, Shavertown and Union Grove), and submersion of nearly one-quarter of the Delaware and Northern Railroad 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, New York Downsville is a hamlet, census-designated place (CDP), and former village in the town of Colchester, Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 617 at the 2010 census. History It is the site of the Downsville Bridge, a covere ...

, as thousands of tourists travel to Downsville each year to fish for

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

. No motor boats are allowed on the reservoir.

Tributaries

* Mill Brook * Barkaboom Stream * Lower Beach Hill Brook * Holliday Brook * Bryden Hill Brook * Murphy Hill Brook * Flynn Brook *

Tremper Kill Tremper Kill is a river in Delaware County in New York. It flows into the Pepacton Reservoir west of Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sportin ...

* 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