Out of the Archives: 130 Years of the New Croton Aqueduct

Parts of the circular aqueduct are reinforced with iron. This 12-foot diameter section is waiting to be lowered into the aqueduct near to 149th Street and Convent Avenue circa 1888.

On this day in 1890, the New Croton Aqueduct was first placed into operation when its water was released into Central Park’s reservoir. In the decades leading up to its construction, New York City’s water consumption had already far exceeded the capacity of its original Croton Aqueduct, completed nearly 50 years earlier. This new aqueduct, with its capacity to deliver 300 million gallons of water each day, more than quadrupled the city’s water supply and provided an important secondary connection to the city’s upstate water sources.

Left: Construction on support structures continued for several years after the aqueduct first delivered water in 1890. This detail from a larger drawing, shows a cross-section of the New Croton Aqueduct where it connects to the Pocantico blow-off and waste weir near Tarrytown N.Y. October 20, 1884; Right: The New Croton Aqueduct crosses under the Harlem River just north of the High Bridge built to carry the original Croton Aqueduct to New York City. The pumping station and gatehouse structures atop the bluff are long gone

Left: The brick portion of the New Croton Aqueduct terminates at the 135th Street Gatehouse, 30 miles from the Croton Dam in Westchester County; Right: Pipeline being laid in Central Park in January 29, 1890, less than six months before the aqueduct was placed into operation.

Completed in 1905, the New Croton Dam is the crown jewel in the Croton System. This dam was constructed to enlarge the original Croton Lake reservoir. The original dam still exists submerged beneath its water.

It’s brick-lined tunnel extended 30 miles from Croton Lake reservoir to the 135th Street Gate House in Manhattan then three more miles of cast-iron pipes carried its water to Central Park where they connected to a new Gate House. To protect the aqueduct, it was constructed deep underground at an average depth of 150 feet, and 307 feet where it crossed under the Harlem River. To supply the aqueduct with water year-round, additional supply reservoirs were built along tributaries of the Croton River and the size of the original Croton Lake reservoir was increased by building the awe-inspiring New Croton Dam. Reservoir construction continued into the first decade of the 20th century by which time the now five-borough city had started work on a new project to bring water from the Catskill Mountains. Today, the New Croton Aqueduct is still in operation delivering water to the Croton Filtration Plant in the Bronx. The decommissioned 135th Street Gate House is now Harlem Stage Performing Arts Center.