water is a social connector

“Water is a social connector”- Dylan Gauthier

The NYC drinking water supply is enormous, providing 1.1+ billion gallons to 9.5+ million people every day. Its infrastructure stretches over 150 miles, from rural to urban communities, through the Catskills, the Hudson Valley, Westchester, and NYC. 

Construction of the system began in 1837 by damming the Croton River, and ended by damming the West Branch of the Delaware in 1964. It’s a “miracle of engineering,” that came at a huge cost to watershed communities. This virtual tour explores the complicated relationship between the City and the communities that provide its water, told through stories and images of places and people in the Catskills, where 90% of NYC’s water comes from.  

Image: Crossing the Ashokan Weir on the bus, Views from the Watershed tour, August 2019. Photo: Rachel Stevens