The water source for the city of
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...
is the Tomhannock Reservoir, a man-made reservoir northeast of Troy in the town of
Pittstown. The reservoir is long, and holds when full. Water quality is good to excellent. Licensed fishing (both warm-weather and
ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities.
Shelters
Longe ...
) is a popular recreational activity. The reservoir supplies water to about 50,000 residents in Troy, as well as to about 85,000 residents in the nearby municipalities of
Brunswick,
East Greenbush,
Halfmoon,
Menands,
North Greenbush,
Poestenkill
Poestenkill is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,530 at the 2010 census. The town is southeast of Troy and is centrally located in the county.
The town is named after the Poesten Kill, an important stream ...
,
Rensselaer,
Schaghticoke and
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
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, coordinates ...
.
History
Construction of the reservoir began in 1900 as a successor to the Oakwood, Brunswick and Lansingburgh Reservoirs. The reservoir went into service in 1906 with a 33-inch riveted steel main.
After eight years of repairs to the original main, a supplemental cast iron
main was installed to stabilize the city's water supply. Facilities for chlorination, metering and the addition of lime to the water were added in 1952. In 1960, a study determined that the Tomhannock Reservoir could serve the city of Troy and the region immediately adjacent to the city (East Greenbush, North Greenbush, Brunswick, a portion of Schaghticoke, and West Sand Lake) in southern
Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...
. During the early 1960s a treatment plant was constructed, which provided filtration and additional supplementation with alum, carbon, potassium permanganate and fluoride.
Chris Alonge, "History of Troy NY Water Supplies" (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)
Retrieved 2011-08-05.
On May 10th, 2021, construction began to replace the 33-inch main and the 30-inch main from the reservoir to the water treatment plant off of Northern Drive with twin 36-inch water mains that would increase the existing capacity of the mains from around 32 million to 35 million gallons per day to 42 million to 45 million gallons per day. The project is expected to cost $40 million and is estimated to take 18 to 24 months to complete.
References
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Reservoirs in New York (state)
Protected areas of Rensselaer County, New York
Reservoirs in Rensselaer County, New York