Lake DeForest
| Lake DeForest | |
|---|---|
 Lake DeForest viewed from nearbyHigh Tor,a summit of the northernHudson River Palisades. | |
  Lake DeForest  Lake DeForest | |
| Location | Clarkstown, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°09′21″N73°57′30″W/ 41.1558°N 73.9584°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Hackensack River |
| Basincountries | Newark Basin United States |
Lake DeForest,also calledDeForest Lake,[1]: 195–213 is areservoirinClarkstown, New York,created in 1956 by impounding theHackensack River,which is a principal part of thewater supplyforRockland County, New YorkandNorthern New Jersey,mainlyBergenandHudsoncounties.[2]The reservoir is owned and operated bySuez North America,and is the most upstream of its reservoirs along the river's watershed, the others beingLake Tappan,theWoodcliff Lake Reservoir,and theOradell Reservoir.It has a storage capacity of 5.6 billion gallons.[3][4][5][6]Swimming and bathing are prohibited because the water is reserved for potable use.[1]: 212 The lake is traversed by acausewaycarryingCongers Road (CR 80).
History
[edit]The lake was developed in 1956 by aninterstate partnershipof the Hackensack Water Company (of New Jersey) and the Spring Valley Water Company (ofSpring Valley, New York), to provide water on both sides of the state line.[1]: 195–213
Adrian Leiby's monograph,The Hackensack Water Company, 1869-1969,[1]describes the conception of the lake (owing chiefly to George F. Wieghardt, chief engineer from 1938 to 1954);[1]: 195–213 the sense that the proposed lake needed to be built soon, before any ill-advised new housing developments on the swampy lowlands would preclude it;[1]: 195–213 and unrest among the public fueled by fears the proposed lake was a plan by New Jersey thieves to steal water from New York state or to create miles of "smelly mud flats" in Clarkstown.[1]: 195–213 By the time of a severe drought in 1963-65, Leiby noted, public approval of the attractive lake and thewater securityit provided was nearly universal;[1]: 221 writing in 1969, he said, "Twelve years later it is hard to believe that there is a single person in the County who would willingly see DeForest Lake drained and its land filled with development houses."[1]: 213
The lake is named after Henry L. deForest, president of Hackensack Water Company from 1936 to 1950, under whose presidency the lake was conceived;[1]: 210 at the time that the completed lake was dedicated on March 13, 1957, Henry L. deForest had recently died. Henry's father,Robert W. DeForest,had led the Hackensack Water Company from 1881 to 1926.
The Hackensack Water Company and the Spring Valley Water Company had long cooperated, the former being a chief stockholder of the latter; they were merged into United Water Resources in the 1980s, which was later acquired by Suez North America.
See also
[edit]- List of dams and reservoirs in New York
- New Milford Plant of the Hackensack Water Company
- Hackensack Water Company Complex
- List of crossings of the Hackensack River
- List of dams and reservoirs in New Jersey
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghijLeiby, Adrian C. (1969),The Hackensack Water Company, 1869-1969,In collaboration with Nancy Wichman, Bergen County Historical Society,ASINB0006C01Q0,OCLC13847.
- ^History of Hackensack Water Company/United Water Company
- ^"Lake DeForest".Haverstraw Water Supply Project.United Water. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-08.Retrieved2012-10-27.
- ^"Chapter 12.0: Infrastructure"(PDF).Rockland County Comprehensive Plan 280 DRAFT.United Water. September 1, 2010.Retrieved2012-10-27.
- ^"Water Sources in Rockland County".Superfund Research Program.Columbia University. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-23.Retrieved2012-10-27.
- ^"Lake DeForest".USGS.Retrieved2012-10-27.