History of New York City’s Water System 1677-Present (The Largest Tunnel in the World)

Today we will look at the vast water systems that have served New York City throughout the last four centuries. Ultimately this collection will include both artistic depictions and the earliest photographs when applicable. Beginning with cisterns and the collection of rainwater, New York had the first water-well founded in the city in 1677, next to the Dutch Star Fortress. A body of water known as “Collect Pond”, also called Fresh Water Pond, was additionally used for fresh water until it was leveled in 1811. In 1831 an intricate system was put in place to supply water for firefighting, but the first major water system to serve all of New York City would have been The Croton Aqueduct, which was founded in 1842, along with the first major dam in the history of The United States, the Old Croton Dam. Today we will cover all that and more, including a still-ongoing Water System that has been under construction in New York City since 1970. Topics discussed today;