Croton Dam
| New Croton Dam | |
|---|---|
New Croton Dam in 2016
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| Location | Cortlandt, Westchester County, New York, USA |
| Coordinates | 41°13′35″N 73°51′19″W / 41.22639°N 73.85528°WCoordinates: 41°13′35″N 73°51′19″W / 41.22639°N 73.85528°W |
| Construction began | 1892 |
| Opening date | 1906 |
| Operator(s) | New York City |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 297 feet (91 m) |
| Length | 2,188 feet (667 m) |
| Width (base) | 266 feet (81 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | New Croton Reservoir |
The New Croton Dam (also known as Cornell Dam), part of the New York City water supply system, stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, about 22 miles (35 km) north of New York City. Construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1906. Designed by Alphonse Fteley (1837–1903), this masonry dam is 266 feet (81 m) broad at its base and 297 feet (91 m) high from base to crest. Its foundation extends 130 feet (40 m) below the bed of the river, and the dam contains 850,000 cubic yards (650,000 m3) of masonry. The engineers' tablet mounted on the headhouse nearest the spillway lists the spillway length as 1,000 feet (300 m) and the total length of the dam and spillway combined as 2,188 feet (667 m). At the time of its completion, it was the tallest dam in the world. New Croton Dam impounds up to 19 billion US gallons (72,000,000 m3) of water, a small fraction of the New York City water system's total storage capacity of 580 billion US gallons (2.2×109 m3).
The dam, in Westchester County, has an unusual spillway, part artificial and part natural, which forms a waterfall on the north side of the structure. New Croton Dam has a public park and trail head at its base and a road along its crest. Road use is limited to pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
The original Croton Dam (Old Croton Dam) was built between 1837 and 1842 to improve New York City's water supply. By 1881, after extensive repairs to the dam, which was 50 feet (15 m) high, Old Croton Reservoir was able to supply about 90 million US gallons (340,000 m3) a day to the city via the Old Croton Aqueduct. To meet escalating water needs, the Aqueduct Commission of the City of New York ordered construction of a new Croton system in 1885. Hydro engineer James B. Francis was brought in as a consultant for the construction.
The proposed dam and reservoir were to cover 20 square miles (52 km2) of land occupied by public and private buildings, six cemeteries, and more than 400 farms. Condemnation disputes led to "protests, lawsuits, and confusion" before payment of claims and the awarding of construction contracts. The work force on the new dam included stonemasons and laborers who had worked on the original dam. John B. Goldsborough, superintendent of excavations and hiring for the project, also recruited stonemasons from southern Italy, who re-located to New York.
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Wikipedia