Ashokan Reservoir

Ashokan Reservoir
Ashokan Reservoir in September 2009
Location	Ulster County, New York, United States
Coordinates	41°57′N 74°13′W / 41.950°N 74.217°W / 41.950; -74.217Coordinates: 41°57′N 74°13′W / 41.950°N 74.217°W / 41.950; -74.217
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Esopus Creek
Primary outflows	Esopus Creek
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	12 mi (19 km)
Max. width	1 mi (2 km)
Surface area	8,300 acres (3,400 ha)
Average depth	14 m (46 ft)
Max. depth	190 ft (58 m)
Water volume	465,200,000 m3 (0.1116 cu mi)
Shore length1	40 mi (60 km)
Surface elevation	585 ft (178 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The Ashokan Reservoir /əˈʃoʊ.kænˌ/ (Iroquois for "place of fish") is a reservoir in Ulster County, New York. The reservoir is in the eastern end of the Catskill Park, and is one of several reservoirs created to provide the City of New York with water. However, it is one of only two reservoirs in the Catskill Watershed. It is also New York City's deepest reservoir, being over 190 feet (58.5 m) deep at its deepest point. This site is near the dam at the former site of Bishop Falls.

New York City turned to the Catskills for water in the early 20th century after discovering that a group of speculators calling itself the Ramapo Water Company had bought up riparian rights to many water sources further south in Rockland, Orange and Ulster counties. The Catskills were more desirable, as state-owned Forest Preserve land in the region could not, under the state constitution, be sold to any other party. A recent amendment to that section of the state constitution also allowed up to 3% of the total Forest Preserve land to be flooded for reservoirs.

In 1905 the New York State Legislature enacted legislation that created the New York City Board of Water Supply and allowed the city to acquire lands and build dams, reservoirs and aqueducts in the Catskills.

Local opponents of the reservoir cast doubt on its soundness, saying it could never hold enough water (it would be one of the largest reservoirs in the world at the time), but when it was filled from 1912 to 1914, they were silenced. Residents of the area to be flooded did not take kindly to the idea, and fought eminent domain proceedings bitterly. They were aided by local lawyers familiar with the checkered history of Catskill land claims. It would be 1940 before the last were settled.