Kensico Reservoir - History

History

As the population of New York City grew in the 19th century, so did the need for water. The first use of water from Westchester County came from the old Croton Dam (forming what was called Croton Lake), which was completed in 1842. In the 1880s, the City faced increasing demands for water and therefore needed to enlarge the Croton Reservoir to meet that need. The enlargement of the Croton Reservoir (with the construction of the New Croton Dam and the forming of the New Croton Reservoir) was completed in 1906 as a part of a system of reservoirs designed to bring water from Putnam and Westchester Counties (the Croton Watershed) to New York City.

In 1885, the old Kensico Dam was built south of the village of Kensico, NY as an additional source of water for New York City. The earth and gravel dam formed a small lake from water supplied by the Bronx River and the Byram River, but it was still not enough for the ever-increasing population of New York City. A reservoir was needed that would contain waters from various new reservoirs and act as a holding tank for distribution to New York City.

The village of Kensico, NY was surrounded by hills that came to a natural V-shape. There was also a nearby quarry on Silver Lake, in North Castle, making the town a logical site for the new dam. Although relatively small—with a population of about 200 people—Kensico had houses, stores, churches, hotels and a railroad station.

In 1905, legislation was passed by New York State to allow money to be raised for the building of the Kensico Reservoir. The next year, final planning by the state was approved, and preliminary surveys were started. Seventeen miles of railroad track were privately built to carry materials from quarries at nearby Cranberry and Silver Lakes to the dam site; this spur railroad and a highway network had to be built to move supplies into place. A camp for the workers and their families had to be constructed, along with facilities such as schools for their children.

To prepare for the dam construction, each individual lot of land was condemned and appraised, and the owner paid a "fair value" for the land. Many of the families had to move to such surrounding communities as Valhalla, Armonk and White Plains. The village of Kensico was then flooded to make way for the reservoir.

After the events of September 11, 2001 the road running across the top of the Kensico Dam was closed indefinitely for fear of an attempt to destroy the dam. A breach of the dam would result in a diminished supply of water to New York City and the flooding of many communities in Westchester. On September 11, 2005, a 9/11 memorial was completed and dedicated in the dam plaza. The memorial is dedicated to the 109 Westchester County residents that died in the attack. The road was reopened in May 2012 to pedestrian and bicycle traffic only.