Hidden Gem: Croton Falls Reservoir

It's easy to get lost in the beauty of the seemingly endless views at the Croton Falls Reservoir, but the service, this large New York City watershed has provided for over 100 years, may be it's best feature.

Located in Putnam County, in the Towns of Carmel and Southeast, more than 30 miles north of New York City, the reservoir holds 14.2 billion gallons of water at full capacity. Consisting of three basins, separated by the Route 35 and Route 36 causeways, the water flows between basins through culverts under the roadways.

Croton Falls is one of 12 reservoirs in the City’s Croton Water Supply System, and was placed into service in 1911.

How it works:

Water leaves all three Croton Falls basins by way of the continuation of the West Branch of the Croton River, which joins the East Branch, flows into the Muscoot Reservoir, and then to the New Croton Reservoir. After moving through the New Croton Aqueduct, the water reaches the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx, where it enters New York City’s distribution system.

Fishing:

The Reservoir also serves as a good cold and warm water fishery.

Every spring 2000 brown trout are stocked into Croton Falls. Anglers report of catching large browns trolling and casting from shore;

They say the key is to experiment with different depths and retrieves until you find where they are holding in the water column.

Fish Species: Brown Trout, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel, Yellow Perch, White Perch and Bluegill

Access:

Access is provided by the New York City DEP. A free NYC DEP watershed access permit is required. Rowboats must be approved and registered by the NYC DEP.

Physical Features:

Elevation: 308 feet

Area: 1,062 acres

Shoreline Length: 18 miles

Max Depth: 108 feet

Mean Depth: 41 feet

Location Above The City Line: Croton Falls Reservoir - 43miles

Photos courtesy of Phactory13