The Shandaken Tunnel is an aqueduct in Eastern

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, 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 constructed between 1916 and 1924. The tunnel starts in Gilboa, New York at the

Schoharie Reservoir The Schoharie Reservoir is a reservoir in the Catskill Mountains of New York State that was created to be one of 19 reservoirs that supplies New York City with water. It was created by impounding Schoharie Creek. Portions of it lie in the towns of ...

, which is in the counties of Schoharie,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York ** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...

. The water flows south towards the

Esopus Creek Esopus Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River that drains the east-central Catskill Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. From its source at Winnisook Lake on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the Catskills' highest peak, it flows across Uls ...

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

. It finally empties into a man-made pool in Allaben, New York, within the Town of Shandaken, and enters Esopus Creek there. The tunnel is over 18 miles (29 km) in length, and carries water through Greene County and Ulster County. Water flows through the tunnel by gravity; it slopes at a rate of . It is high, and wide. There are seven shafts along the tunnel, serving to aerate the water and provide an outlet for dissolved impurities to escape as gasses.

References

External links

video of a reservoir and the Shandaken Tunnel, 1920s
Water tunnels in the United States Tunnels in New York (state) Water infrastructure of New York City Catskill/Delaware watersheds Transportation buildings and structures in Ulster County, New York Transportation buildings and structures in Greene County, New York Tunnels completed in 1924 {{US-tunnel-stub