Map of the route of the new Croton Aqueduct, present aqueduct and Bronx River pipe line also the watersheds of the Croton, Bronx and Byram Rivers

New York: Aqueduct Commission, N.Y., 1887. unbound. Map. Hand-colored lithograph. 37.5 x 13.5 inches. This is a rare 1887 map showing the route of the New Croton Aqueduct. Covers an area east of the Hudson River, between lower Manhattan (New York, N.Y.) and southern Dutchess County, New York. Shows lakes and streams, aqueducts and reservoirs. Also shows drainage, roads, railroads, etc. Includes Westchester, County and Putnam County. Oriented with North towards the upper right, the map was issues in "The 1887 Report to the Aqueduct Commissioners of New York City", which contained the reports of the commission secretary and the chief engineer. Manhattan (truncated) in depicted in great detail with the street grid noted. Work on the New Croton Aqueduct began in 1883, when a resolution in the New York State legislature sought to expand New York City's water supply. A proposal for a 'new' 33-mile long Croton Aqueduct (to replace the old one) submitted the year prior was re-evaluated and expanded into a massive infrastructure project that took over a decade to complete. It wouldn't be until 1908 that the final reservoir of the Croton watershed was completed. The aqueduct, primarily consisting of a brick-lined tunnel 13 feet in diameter, remains in use today as one of the three water sources for New York. A detailed profile of the New Aqueduct from Central Park to Croton Lake is included in the top left of the map. A profile of the Quaker Bridge Reservoir is included along the bottom margin of the map. The map is in good condition with some wear along the original fold lines. The split along the left fold with text image loss is repaired on verso. The chief engineer for the project was Benjamin Stillman Church (1836-1910), whose printed signature appears on this work. He had been associated with the Old Croton Aqueduct since 1856, first as a topographer and then as its Resident Engineer. In 1882 he warned that the old aqueduct was running at full capacity and that attempts to force more water into the system due to the city's needs could have catastrophic consequences, which led to the creation of the new aqueduct. Church was also involved in the planning and creation of the dam that would create the Croton Reservoir, from which the new aqueduct's waters would flow. (Inventory #: 321831)