Silver Lake Reservoir
Shining in Staten Island
New York City has five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. In 1898, the boroughs came together to form one large city. This made the population of the city grow quite quickly.
By the early 1900s New York City decided to look to the Catskill Mountains, over 100 miles away from City Hall, for fresh water. Large reservoirs, man-made lakes holding billions of gallons of water, were constructed and filled with fresh water from the Catskill Watershed. A watershed is all the small rivers and lakes that flow into a larger body of water.
Coming Down from the Catskills
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How Does Water Travel More than 100 Miles?
The Catskill Watershed and its reservoirs are among tall mountains. New York City is lower and closer to sea level. The water flows down from the Catskills to New York City because of gravity, much like how water flows down into a cup when you pour it.
The water from the Catskills is carried from the mountains to the city through an aqueduct. An aqueduct is a series of tunnels meant for carrying water.
Use the zoom out (-) button in the map above to see how far our water travels!
The Pepacton Reservoir on a sunny September day. Image Credit: NYC DEP via Flickr
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Facing the Challenge
The Catskill Aqueduct was quite the engineering challenge. It has to cross multiple waterways, including the Hudson River and the Narrows, the body of water between Brooklyn and Staten Island. In 1914, the aqueduct across the Verrazzano Narrows was built in a unique way: engineers dug a trench on the bottom of the sea floor. Can you see the path of the trench on the image?
A 1,400-foot section of pipe was placed in the trench and in 1916, the work was completed on the Staten Island side. By then, the Silver Lake Reservoir would be ready to accept the water from this pipe.
Workers get ready to place a cradle for the pipe in the Narrows. Image Credit: NYC DEP via Flickr
Silver Lake on Staten Island was chosen as the landing point for the water coming down from the Catskills. Silver Lake is between the neighborhoods of Tompkinsville, West Brighton, and Silver Lake - not far from the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Why was this location chosen as a site for a reservoir?
Staten Island is known for being a very hilly borough. Why would a lake on a hill be selected for the site of a reservoir? Also, let’s take a look at the colors of the map - which colors surround the reservoir? What do you think these colors represent?
Silver Lake and its surrounding communities
Another New York City reservoir sits upon a hill. The Ridgewood Reservoir is on a hill at the border of Brooklyn and Queens. What are some things that the Silver Lake Reservoir and the Ridgewood Reservoir have in common?
Silver Lake's Story
Dancing in the Moonlight
Staten Island, although it was a part of New York City, had a country setting for many years. In fact, for most of the late 1800s and early 1900s, Silver Lake was a vacation destination. It was a spring-fed, natural lake that was notably beautiful. People would travel to the waterside for dancing, picnicking and to play games at the casino.
Silver Lake once boasted a fancy hotel. Image Credit: NYPL Digital Collections
Staten Ice-land
At your house, how do you keep your food cold?
In addition to a vacation destination, Silver Lake was important because it would freeze over in the winter. Staten Islanders harvested the ice from the lake to use in their iceboxes - an old-fashioned refrigerator.
Ice skaters enjoy a winter's day on Silver Lake. Image Credit: Robert M. Lang
Silver Lake as a Reservoir
While a famous vacation spot, engineers realized that Silver Lake could hold a lot of water - they estimated that it could hold 12 million gallons of water as a lake. To serve its purpose as a reservoir, the natural lake had to be altered, or changed. It was drained, its organic matter removed, and two basins (large containers for water) were constructed. This construction expanded its capacity to 435 million gallons.
In 1917, the first water from the Catskills arrived at Silver Lake.
Construction on the fencing and landscaping around the Silver Lake Reservoir. Image Credit: NYC DEP via Flickr
Despite its functional use as a reservoir, Silver Lake maintained its status as a popular destination for people seeking recreation through most of the 1900s and even up until today. What are your favorite fun things to do at a park?
Silver Lake Park
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Fresh Air
The area around Silver Lake was protected as a park, even before the reservoir was built. As early as 1900, Staten Island’s politicians were advocating , or fighting for more park space. They argued that Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn were too far away. They also stated that the casino at the site was not good for children or families. The park would provide family-friendly recreation for everyone.
Silver Lake is a brilliant blue in the autumn. Image Credit: NYCH2O
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Keep it Moving
Land for a golf course was added to Silver Lake Park in 1929. Over the years, tennis, biking, playgrounds and handball courts were added. This allows Staten Islanders to enjoy many different kinds of activities.
Some folks may prefer passive recreation - these are things that you can do by yourself or with a few friends such as going on a nature walk or birdwatching (or enjoying the view of the reservoir!).
Other people may prefer active recreation - these are sports that you can play in teams, on a field, or with equipment, like handball or tennis.
Students on an NYCH2O field trip enjoy an active "tree race" at the park. Image Credit: NYCH2O
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Moving Underground
When it rains, dirt from the roads and fertilizers from lawns can flow into waterways, like Silver Lake. By the 1960s, there were concerns that the Silver Lake Reservoir could be polluted by runoff from roadways and people’s yards in the surrounding community. In the image to the right, you can see a residential neighborhood close to the reservoir.
In 1971, the water in Silver Lake was declared no longer fit for drinking. While the lake remains a beautiful place to visit, the drinking water on Staten Island now comes from a different place. Hidden beneath a nearby hill is an underground storage tank that is now actively used to provide water to the many homes and businesses in the area. There are two tanks and they each hold 50,000,000 gallons of water! They are some of the largest tanks of their kind in the world.
With Manhattan as a background, Silver Lake stands out. Image Credit: NYCH2O
We hope you enjoyed exploring this fun destination on Staten Island that continues to shine!
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