East Branch Reservoir

The East Branch Reservoir is a lake type reservoir in Putnam County, New York near Brewster Village. Its catchment area measures 75 square miles, while its surface area measures over five hundred acres. The average depth of the reservoir is 32 feet.

The East Branch Reservoir, which was put into service in 1891, is a major part of the water supply network of New York City. It can store up to 5.2 billion gallons of water, which is sends through the

New Croton Aqueduct to the Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx for distribution daily.

It is connected to the Bog Brook Reservoir through a tunnel that is almost two thousand feet long.

The two reservoirs make up the “Double Reservoir I” project. The second project, dubbed “Double Reservoir II” involves the Croton Falls and Diverting reservoirs.

To create the East Branch Reservoir, the Southeast Center village was leveled and flooded. However, some portions of the village, including Sodom Road, remain. Parts of Milltown village were also flooded during the construction of the reservoir. Many of the structures were moved up to higher ground to what is now known as Milltown Rd. During droughts and dry periods, the rock walls, foundations and roadbeds for both villages can be seen.