The Delaware Aqueduct is an aqueduct in 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 takes water from the

Rondout Rondout may refer to some places and buildings in the United States: In Illinois: *Rondout, Illinois In New York: * Rondout, New York, a village located on the north side of Rondout Creek near its mouth on the Hudson River in Ulster County * Rond ...

, Cannonsville, Neversink, and Pepacton reservoirs on the west bank of the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

through the Chelsea Pump Station, then into the West Branch, Kensico, and Hillview reservoirs on the east bank, ending at Hillview in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

. The aqueduct was constructed between 1939 and 1945, and carries approximately half of New York City's water supply of per day. At wide and long, the Delaware Aqueduct is the world's longest tunnel.

Reservoirs and watersheds

The Delaware Aqueduct carries water from the ,

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

using the Rondout, Cannonsville, Neversink and Pepacton reservoirs with the Delaware and Neversink tunnels. (The latter three reservoirs are within the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, before ...

watershed. Rondout is considered by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) to be part of the Delaware system despite being firmly within the Hudson River watershed.) Combined, the four reservoirs account for of watershed and of capacity, of which goes to the city — 50% of daily demand. All this water is fed from the Rondout to West Branch Reservoir in Putnam County (part of the

Croton River watershed ''This page is about the Croton River watershed, a hydrological feature. For the component of the New York City water supply system with a similar name, see'' Croton Watershed The Croton River watershed is the drainage basin of the Croton River ...

, which includes the flow of the upstream

Boyds Corner Reservoir The Boyds Corner Reservoir is a small reservoir in Putnam County, New York. It is in the town of Kent, New York, and is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of New York City. It is the northernmost reservoir in the Croton River watershed, but is ...

), then to the Kensico, and Hillview reservoirs in southern

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 ...

, before continuing on to distribution within New York City.

Leak problems

Leaks were first discovered in the Delaware Aqueduct in 1988, with water losses up to per day. The city took many years to analyze the leak problem and devise a solution. In 2010 it announced a plan for a major repair project.

Repairs

The NYCDEP is building a Rondout-West Branch Bypass Tunnel beneath the Hudson River, which will allow it to bypass the leak. Construction began in November 2013. "The number's going to be $1.5 billion to do the entire program to make the fix," said Paul Rush, Deputy Commissioner of the NYCDEP. "About two-thirds of it, $1 billion, will actually go into constructing a bypass tunnel around the location with the most significant leakage in Roseton, and to do additional concrete grouting in the Wawarsing section." The new bypass tunnel is the largest construction project in NYCDEP's history. Construction of the tunnel, under the Hudson, was completed in 2019. To complete the repairs the aqueduct will be shut down temporarily in October 2022. NYCDEP estimates completion of the repair project in 2023.

References

External links

"Giant Tube To Supply Water For Ten Millions"
''Popular Mechanics'', August 1937—detailed article with drawings and maps on proposed Delaware Aqueduct {{Authority control Water infrastructure of New York City Landmarks in New York (state) Aqueducts in New York (state) Transportation buildings and structures in Putnam County, New York Transportation buildings and structures in Ulster County, New York Transportation buildings and structures in Westchester County, New York Interbasin transfer

Reservoirs and watersheds

Leak problems

Repairs

See also

References

Further reading

External links