New Croton Dam was built between 1892 and 1906 across the river Croton-on-Hudson, about 35 km north of New York City.
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The dam diverts river water into the New Croton Reservoir, which supplies water to residents of New York City. It was the first major water supply system for the city which played an important role in supporting the early growth of New York City. It is possible that without the Croton dam, we would not see New York as it is now. Reservoir collects about 19 billion gallons of water. Nowadays it is only a small part of the overall need of the metropolis of 580 billion gallons.
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The original Old Croton Dam was built in 1842. It has been able to supply to the city about 90 million gallons of water per day through a 66-kilometer underground aqueduct. By the end of the 19th century it became clear that New York needs more water.
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52 square kilometers of land has been allocated to build a new dam. New Croton Reservoir is ultimately able to deliver 200 - 300 million gallons of water per day.
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The dam is considered to be one of the most impressive man-made structures in the north-east of the US, because of a majestic waterfall and a bridge with a great view of the whole structure.
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The foundation extends to 40 meters below the bottom of the river and spillway length is 300 meters. During completion, it was the tallest dam in the world.The dam has a unique stepped spillway along the retaining wall, as it is partly natural and partly artificial.
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At the foot of the dam there is a 97-acre public park and the beginning of the famous pedestrian trail of Croton. This park is a popular place for fishing, picnics and hiking. Here begins the Old Croton Aqueduct, that’s why in winter competitions in sledding are organized there.