Why Towns were Lost Under New York’s Water Reservoir

[@mynameismud08]

As someone who's fished both the Ashokan and Neversink reservoirs, many times over. I can attest that when the water level gets low enough, you can indeed see the remains of buildings!

[@alb12345672]

I know about the Ashokan but the Neversink too???

[@mynameismud08]

@@alb12345672 It's much rarer there because most of the buildings were bulldozed when the Neversink was built. The most I've seen there is some old stone and masonry foundations. You might not even notice them if you're not paying attention. At Ashokan, the buildings are considerably more complete. Also, in my experience, the Neversink rarely gets as low as Ashokan and the water level seems more stable.

[@cleverusername9369]

I used to go fishing at a lake near where I grew up in central NC, it had to be temporarily drained to construct a spillway or something, and while it was empty they found remains of an old wooden Confederate bridge that had been known to be somewhere in the area but had never been found. It was pretty cool driving by the empty lake and seeing all the vertical pilings sticking up out of the lake bed, plus more than a couple sunken boats 😆 whoops

[@GilmerJohn]

Didn't one of those "ponds" have amazingly clear/transparent water?

[@ruinedcraft4830]

Great vide. Very informative: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5XSi4Crp7CEgKM

[@kingjellybean9795]

I WANT TO LIVE IN AN UNSUSTAINABLE CITY SO YOU HAVE TO MOVE FROM YOUR SMALL SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE... sounds about right

[@elamite66]

I lived near the Croton Dam and Resovoir and as a child I remember how a relatively severe drought lowered the water level and although there were no buildings or trees there were many stumps, stone walls and foundations although there was no town of any size there was an earlier dam then above water It was the 1842 Croton Dam which was dwarfed by the present Croton Dam built in the 1890s When the water was at its lowest water then flowed over the spillway of the old dam and a stone building on each side still existed although without its wooden roofs I lived in Ossining which the old aquiaduct built in 1842 went through the town's center and the double arch still stands as does the promenade

[@jennyknepper]

My grandmother grew up near there & I’ve got photos of the new dam being built, which were taken by my great-grandfather. I’ve always wondered the story behind the photos! My great-grandfather & great-grandmother took care of the Brandreth camp property-Mr. Brandreth owned a plaster factory in Ossining, but my grandmothers family lived out in the woods (a train and then wagon ride away!). Her brother worked there later in life too.

[@RussellPolo]

Grew up in Croton. We were told that when the residents moved out, after they removed everything else of value, they burned the building, so they could recover the square nails they were built with.

[@george5156]

@@RussellPolo yep nails used to be hand made

[@elamite66]

@@RussellPolo I've heard of that kind of thing about 100 or more years earlier but by the 1890s nails had become very cheap so it would hardly have been worth the effort All the result of the Industrial Revolution which is also the reason that Victorian styles with intricate woodwork had become relatively cheap to produce too

[@seangannon6081]

I still live right near there and the reservoirs by Brewster are really low right now so you can still see the old rock walls that used to mark out the property. A good way to find stuff (I know someone that found a decent stash of silver coins from the 1910s) is to metal detect along all those old walls.

[@hankw69]

I remember David Letterman once joking that NY didn't win first place for tap water, that was St. Paul, MN. NY did, however, 'runner-up' with best chunky style.

[@tomservo56954]

I read something that said in a blind test, NYC tap water was favored over pricey imported bottled water.

[@TheScrappingJeahaha]

Here in Germany there is also a reservoir for a hydro electric damn. As per the city's in the video, there was one town which buildings were either destroyed or relocated, except for a bridge. Nearly every summer when the water level gets low enough, the bridge which leads over the initial stream gets completely out of the water and is indeed structural compliant to be walked over again, also many foundations of buildings are still there and can be seen when the water is low enough. The lake is called the Edersee.

[@justinthompson1381]

That's really cool I bet it's awesome to walk over and see all the old architecture it's sad all the nature and man made beauty that is unfortunately lost and forgotten most times with the needs of the many outweighing the wants of the few

[@ThomasDeLello]

@@justinthompson1381 ...would you rather have to worry 'bout cholera every time you flush your toilet...?

[@justinthompson1381]

@@ThomasDeLello I'd rather worry about your Grammer.

[@IceBro]

The bridge was not destroyed because its by law a historical building which is not allowed to be destroyed and therefore very time it re-surfaces the road department has to make a check-up.

[@alexmercer8042]

We have a similar case nearby, last year or the year prior a bridge emerged from the water completely intact for the first time since the dam was built in the 50s

[@caseyflorida]

The same thing happened in Massachusetts when the Quabbin Reservoir was constructed to supply water to Boston. Some towns were evacuated and flooded by the reservoir.

[@ryanroberts1104]

This has happened many many times all over the country. I live on the edge of a reservoir in NC, which used to have towns, and still has graveyards. Occasionally a dog will come home with a human bone. Seriously.

[@OldLugnutz]

Dana, Enfield, Prescott, Greenwich. All flooded. Families and farmers got nearly zip from the state for the eminent domain takeover and almost no relocation assistance. Still today, Families in western central Mass still have disdain for the "commonwealth"...

[@joelspaulding5964]

@@OldLugnutz As they should. 😉

[@allanlester3561]

See the children's book "Letting Swift River Go" by Jane Yolen. 💔

[@clarinetgaming1708]

Living in the Tennessee Valley I’m used to hearing about flooded and abandoned towns, but I never hear the history of the towns. Great video!

[@edwinsalau150]

Have you ever checked into the salary of the individual running the TVA! It is outrageous!

[@Cm-lp4mu]

@@edwinsalau150 have you realized all they do for us?

[@RCAvhstape]

@@Cm-lp4mu A little defensive, are we?

[@Cm-lp4mu]

@@RCAvhstape I only asked if they knew how much they provide for us.

[@RCAvhstape]

@@Cm-lp4mu I'm sure it's worth whatever that guy is getting paid.

[@franciscampagna2711]

I lived the Catskills. This is a part of our history. The Board of Water Supply was almost as well loved as the Nazis.

[@evanmcmaster3900]

same thing happened all over the country especially in the North East. To make the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts four towns were flooded and are still in the water.

[@debpratt52]

@B Babbich Let New York City desalinate the ocean instead of claiming eninent domain over Upstate rural folks. Disgusting!

[@ban80]

​@B Babbich NY pays for itself this bullshit of cities supporting rural people is just that.

[@Rip889]

"A-Sho-Can" is how you pronounce the reservoir's name. "E-so-pus" is how you pronounce the rivers name

[@woodfoxxx]

And RON-dout not Round-dout

[@NY-ITA99]

Thank you bro!! Lol

[@AnthonyMaccaline]

Right, long E and O to pronounce Esopus. Long O in Ashokan. Stress put on the 2nd syllable of both words.

[@donaldchristensen1301]

This is the problem with majority rule. The little people have no rights or protection. Even when eminent domain is used they don't pay the actual value.

[@richhoule3462]

NYC has always killed this state

[@zacharym167]

Split ny

[@hoosacmusicman9108]

The underground aqueduct that connects the Schoharie Reservoir with the Ashokan Reservoir is known as the Shandaken Tunnel, not the Schoharie Tunnel.

[@cleverusername9369]

Man, y'all got some funny name in New York (says the guy from a state with a town named Lizard Lick)

[@petenielsen6683]

@@cleverusername9369 We also have an East Aurora well west of Aurora.

[@thomasfreeman7770]

My grandfather worked on the Catskill aqueduct. My father born in 1915 lived there as a young boy while his dad worked there. By the way the reservoir’s name is actually pronounced AH-SHOW-CAN.

[@LTParis]

I was about to mention the mispronunciation. :) - signed a Kingston NY resident

[@jennyknepper]

As in “Ashokan Farewell”?

[@thomasfreeman7770]

@@jennyknepper Yes Ashokan is the name of one of the communities that once existed where the reservoir is. The composer also lived in that area but I don’t believe he is old enough to have actually lived in the town.

[@dadbodii]

I lived right on the ashokan reservoir for 19 years of my life. Went fishing there as a kid. Was going to say the same thing

[@ke9tv]

@@thomasfreeman7770 Jay lives in the modern (relocated) village of Ashokan, south of the reservoir.

[@miketroy4558]

The Catskills were NOT the first city reservoirs by any stretch of the imagination. The city was fed by the Croton Aqueduct with the water of Westchester and Putnam Counties, beginning long before the turn of the century. Small communities were destroyed in whole or part at Kensico, Katonah, Kent Cliffs, Sunderlinville, Drewville and so on. The Catskill reservoirs and the tunnel under the river were an afterthought.

[@ThomasDeLello]

I'm from there... I know.

[@patriciadevereaux3886]

Isn't Katonah a stop on the Metro North line?

[@miketroy4558]

@@patriciadevereaux3886 Yes. Part of the town was moved for the Cross River Reservoir.

[@richmoore5525]

yes Mike an afterthought. They wanted them just because they could, though unconstitutionally. The cannonsville reservoir has not been used for drinking water and is only used for stream control downstream. The area could have boomed economically if recreation were allowed there. AND, they are the only reservoirs in the world that do not produce electricity. What a waste as NY is so well known to be.

[@richmoore5525]

they should have just taken water from upstream Hudson river. So much easier for all around.

[@itsmehere1]

I wish there would be some time-lapse videos of these lakes being filled and seeing the towns go under.

[@OFCbigduke613]

That would be so cool

[@gregmilliken5538]

The relocation of towns for projects like that happened a lot back then. One of my uncles grew up in Enfield, In Massachusetts. Enfield was flooded when The Qubban Reservoir was constructed to supply Boston with water . Houses, even cemeteries were relocated.

[@runsolomon]

Eminent domain is a bitch they ran a highway through our small town a few years back they tried to buy a guy off his land he refused and they just took it for free in court

[@debpratt52]

New York City did not relocate homes. They gave the farm owners low-ball prices.

[@hotmess9640]

@@debpratt52 good ole eminent domain. Same thing with the land that is home to Central Park.

[@freetolook3727]

Gilboa, NY. When the water level drops on the old reservoir, you can see the foundations of the old town.

[@richmoore5525]

sure can. Know the area well.

[@RJFPme]

My only water is a 100 year old handdug cistern well fully lined with rocks and boulders to 35 feet deep.

[@cleverusername9369]

How's it taste? Better than city, I would imagine

[@toddphillips7113]

all of those people had their lives illegally taken away from them as soon as that first illegal contract was sighned those country folk never stood a chance against the city folk such,a sad shame.

[@Pantheragem]

@@plasmawarper5837 So does L.A.

[@RellupNorth]

How do only 2.8 million people use NYC tap water when it has 9 million people alone, not including Westchester 🤔

[@bb5242]

I once did a motorcycle ride near the Gilboa dam (Schoharie Reservoir) and that part of the state. What a great day that was.

[@brettbaker9350]

We ride up there all the time stop in BBQ place in Middleburg theu got a nice ride mapped out for the catskills

[@ESternRN1967]

I live in Sullivan County, NY and use well water - it is really does taste great! No wonder NYC wants to take it.

[@SenileOtaku]

NYC wants to take everything they can.

[@vehicleandanimalcrossovers]

If they had to be kicked out of their homes the city could at least give them compensation such as money to move to another place and start a new life.

[@MikeP2055]

That was interesting. I had no idea New York had such a massive reservoir and aqueduct project. When I was a kid someone told me that NYC uses enough water per day to fill up the Empire State Building twice. I have no idea if that's true, but it sounds fun, ha. A few towns and innumerable archeological sites were flooded when they dammed the Colorado River to form Lake Powell and Lake Mead, and due to ongoing droughts out here (I'm in UT) they're both at all time low levels. Same with the Great Salt Lake.

[@floydb5668]

I’ve seen that level has been low for a concerning amount of time. I’m not sure if it’s accurate either but I heard Lake Mead may never recover which is scary

[@MikeP2055]

@@floydb5668 Are you talking about the Great Salt Lake being that low, or one of the others? There's a father and son team from Vegas with a KZbin channel called Sin City Outdoors (something like that anyway) and they've been monitoring the level of Lake Mead. Holy smokes, it is BONKERS! I was at Powell this spring and a big rock formation that used to be an island is now high and dry. It's been lowering and lowering for 20+ years, but considering how many millions of people rely on the Colorado for drinking water and crops, it's become dire! The Great Salt Lake has also been drying out for years. Earlier this year they said it was at a near record-setting low and I think they've said it finally hit the mark. All the sailboats had to be crained out of the water and onto trailers. (Edit: Oh, and you're totally right. It would take several years of wetter-than-normal winter snowpack to bring the levels back up.)

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

@@floydb5668 Lake Mead was last at full capacity in 1989 and there is no chance of it ever reaching that level again. The population of SoCal, AZ and NV has increased by over 15 million people since the lake was full. There has also been a massive increase in water used for agriculture in CA and AZ. It is time for California and Arizona to wake up and realize that they have already wasted the water that was intended as a reserve for dry years. They have farmed the desert to such an extreme that the dams are unable to maintain enough water flows to generate power. Several generators are shut down and more are expected to be shut down soon. John Oliver gave an oversimplified but accurate overview of the water issues in the southwest recently.

[@floydb5668]

@@hewhohasnoidentity4377 I appreciate you going into more detail 👍thanks

[@GilmerJohn]

Well, speaking in particular to the Great Salt Lake, when we visited SLC c. 1985 the Great Salt Lake was rising and keep causing southern interstate highway to be re-paved to raise it above the water. At one time, they were either considering or actually raising some of the overpasses. Around that time, there was so much rain that "Emigration Rd/trail" was used as a waterway. IOW: this, too, will pass.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

There's a similar story in this near Dayton, Ohio. There was a town called "Osborn" that was located at where they wanted to create the flood plains to prevent floods that had happened before such as the 1913 flood. They wanted to demolish the town and make way for the flood plains. Instead, the people of Osborn literally moved the houses next to Fairfield Ohio. The two towns were eventually renamed to Fairborn, Ohio. Many of the original Osborn houses still stand in the Osborn historic district of Fairborn, Ohio.

[@nickabel8279]

There's story's like this everywhere. Md has at least 2

[@runsolomon]

I lived in Fairfield very beautiful town I always love The view from rising Park

[@juliemomzithomas6731]

My great-grandfather helped build a TVA damn. They flooded a whole town. When drained in the 80s, there is still a lot of the buildings under there. Butler TN. The dam supplies electricity for TVA.

[@Finallyfree423]

There's alot of buried towns and cities

[@wadeguidry6675]

My grandfather worked for the TVA in the 1930s. He was a civil engineer. I wonder if he worked with your great-grandfather. That would be cool.

[@juliemomzithomas6731]

Both sides of my family were involved. Dad's grandfather worked to build the dam and Mom's had to relocate before they flooded their farm.

[@Biggs58]

I found this very informative. Interesting to see how with the technology of the time the how this was put in place. You ask for other ideas for shows. Texas has many lakes with only one natural. Half in Texas the other half in Louisiana called Caddo Lake. All the others would share the story’s of New York.

[@jennyknepper]

Wow…really? Arkansan here..I’ve seen lots of Texan lakes but it never occurred to me that they were all man-made. Weird…

[@UncleBearski]

In 1914 a dam was built for the lake. So not as "natural" as one would think.

[@menguardingtheirownwallets6791]

Just pay the people 4-times what their land value is worth, according to current market values, if they owned it 'prior' to the project being approved (and 'at market value', if they were scam artists and they bought it recently, in hopes of making money off of the project). This would then give affected people more than enough cash to make up for their loss, and allow them to move elsewhere, and have some money left over, and prevent scam artists from making money off this.

[@Right-Is-Right]

Only people that had places where they were building the dam walls and other structures got paid, people that were going to be in the middle and flooded out, too bad, so sad. That is the history of what NY politics is about, screwing over the minority for the benefit of the majority.

[@GilmerJohn]

BINGO & Amen! Perhaps not 4 times BUT a minimum 20% premium of prior "fair market/tax" value with extra bonuses for each year in occupancy. Likewise, stakeholders should be compensated. For most projects, the land is a minor component of the total cost.

[@lightningdemolition1964]

The problem with that is define what it's worth. Houses, land, businesses, going concerns that have goodwill. These are all a matter for skilled appraisers and take a lot of time to figure out. The water board doesn't want to overpay and unjustly enrich someone so they just offer what they say it's worth and no more.

[@jfchonors8873]

The village of Katonah in Westchester county was to be flooded in the 1890s for construction of the Muscoot Reservoir of the Croton system. The houses were all relocated to the site of today’s village

[@SenileOtaku]

At one time the thugs in the Board of Water Supply were all set to flood parts of Patterson NY for a reservoir, I guess it was too expensive for the amount of water they'd have gotten out of it.

[@spuds6423]

​@@SenileOtakuEast of Hudson system was pretty built out by then and land prices were much cheaper across the Hudson.

[@williamthompson2941]

! Its still a heavy price. There are dozens of things you cant do in Catskills to keep water pure cos they don't want to filter water. Meanwhile, Catskill residents are not allowed to use the water in those reservoirs !

[@ke9tv]

Ironically, improvements in effeciency have caused New York to reduce its water consumption to pre-1950s levels even as the population has continued to grow. Cannonsville Reservoir, while completed in 1964, had too low a flow in the rivers to be used to mitigate the drought of the early 1960's. Ever since then, it has functioned merely as reserve capacity that has never truly needed to be tapped. It will be drawn on, however, to fulfill needs resulting from the renovation of the Catskill aqueduct. All the aqueducts leak nowadays. causing great problems for the people living above the leaky sections. It would have been good if you'd learnt to pronounce 'Ashokan' before making this video. I cringed every time I heard it.

[@died4us590]

New york is a hole, and they should not have stolen property. You know the water is full of fluoride, so how good is it. I will take the country any day. GOD bless.

[@ryankay4457]

They didn't steal it, they pay for it, to this day lol

[@GravityFarm]

Ah-sho-kan. E-so-pus. At certain times, one may in fact see subsurface structures in the Ashokan.

[@ruthwickline1000]

Great Linguistic education on our lovely little towns❤️

[@herbfst]

Gotta love NYC. Screw everyone else and take what you want. Sounds like it hasn't changed one bit.

[@peteraleksandrovich5923]

Did we make you cry, honey? Go tell your mommy.

[@Finallyfree423]

@@peteraleksandrovich5923 found the New Yorker

[@Right-Is-Right]

@@peteraleksandrovich5923 Can't wait until the country votes to flood NYC and see how you react.

[@SenileOtaku]

@@Finallyfree423 Yep, typical arrogant crap attitude of someone from NYC.

[@__jonbud______________________]

@@peteraleksandrovich5923 at least when they cry, they're probably getting lungfulls of cleaner air 🤡

[@michaelwiener477]

To: it's History It is pronounced: A-Show-Can I documented the Ashokan Reservoir on or about 1968. I have about 200 transparencies. Some of which are in the NYS archives.

[@joes2085]

I agree ( from NYC)

[@cleverusername9369]

The song in the intro of Ken Burns "Civil War" documentary series is called "Ashokan Farewell" and it's almost as lovely as upstate NY. Love your state's natural beauty, _almost_ as pretty as my home state, NC 😉

[@xenon53827]

"Why Towns were Lost Under New York’s Water Reservoir" Because the water level rose over them. There, 23 minutes saved!

[@Sedgewise47]

Remember, Boys & Girls: the story civilization is oftentimes the story of sacrifice. (Just sayin’…)

[@__jonbud______________________]

That's not really "sacrifice" if the ones sacrificing the most don't benefit. Exploitation is the word you might be looking for

[@JeanPaulMueller]

Am I missing something but wouldn't it be cheaper to take the water from further up the Hudson River? If that water is "dirty" you could clean it.

[@SenileOtaku]

NYC is on an ocean. Technology has advanced to where desalination should be an economic option, and they wouldn't have to trample on the rights of others (but that wouldn't be NYC-like, if they couldn't look down on everyone else).

[@richmoore5525]

yes, but instead NYC was greedy and wanted to steal from others because they could. NYC has used and abused the upstate for so long because that is where the majority of legislators come from. So much for Democracy and screw everybody else. In the end though. It has destroyed itself and the rest of the state.

[@jimurrata6785]

This was all done 100 years ago. NYC needed the elevation of water from the Catskills to supply pressure for the system.

[@Interbert]

Ironic the towns Neversink and Bittersweet are under Water Reservoir.

[@NathanGrosse]

There was a similar situation near where I grew up. The formation of Lock and Dam No 2 on the Mississippi River flooded out a small community on an island in the middle of the river. It’s all underwater now, but the county plat maps still list the now flooded land parcels. It’s strange.

[@OFCbigduke613]

I’m in Hastings. Tell me more😮

[@Redslayer86]

This is a modern era version of cities conquering surrounding areas

[@chip63us]

Farmers screwed again by the city trash.

[@QuasiTraction]

In a way, it reminds me of the movie "motherless Brooklyn" with a twinge of "Chinatown" peppered in. Relocating whole villages, neighborhoods or townships. One was in the way of transportation, the other in the way of satisfying the need of a water supply for one of the largest cities in the world.

[@steves1749]

That was Robert Moses, who in my opinion was a destroyer of NY

[@richmoore5525]

relocating sounds so nice. The people had to relocate themselves. AND, they were not justly compensated for their possessions and time. I remember as I lived there as a child.

[@debpratt52]

@@richmoore5525 Absolutely! My Grandfather's farm was taken for NYC water. And they were not justly compensated for losing their life savings that had gone into their homes and farms. I grew up with an intense hatred for NYC.

[@TonyTitleGuy]

In the 1950's we spend summers in the Catskills. Saugerties and Woodstock were villages near Ashokan, and I can remember seeing stone chimneys sticking out of the water in Ashokan, when we experience droughts.

[@chrishossack445]

Best to watch on high speed, a lot of waffle

[@gungriffen]

"The needs of the many out weigh the few." Except in the US the individual is supposed to be paramount out weigh the many. Giving up your land for the others isn't supposed to be allowed.

[@TheFishingMommy]

Interesting that there was no mention of the Kensico Reservoir, one of the very last stops before the water reaches the city. There’s a church & roads under there too.

[@JonathanEzor]

Yup. The residents of what was then Kensico were relocated to the newly built town of Valhalla, NY, which remains alongside the Kensico Dam and reservoir today.

[@jbenjamin59]

Sidebar, NYC has over 8/9 million living in it, Manhattan alone has about 2.8 million but it’s not the most populated Burrough in the city

[@rwboa22]

Brooklyn and Queens are larger than Manhattan and The Bronx combined.

[@naldahide]

And that's just another reason why many many people hate New Yuck...

[@whyjnot420]

In Colebrook, Connecticut, there is a reservoir created the better part of a century ago. When the water level gets low enough there, you can see the old roads, some foundations as well as an old bridge. All from when the valley used for the reservoir was a village inside of the town proper.

[@napesdrk1174]

A - show - can. And, E - soap - us.

[@michaelclark2097]

NYC has the best water?! As a Memphis native, and a person who visits NYC annually, Memphis has the best H2O hands down.

[@ginog5037]

Agree as many other places do have better tasting water. I believe they mean NYC has the best unfiltered long distance running water.

[@TealCheetah]

What do you mean they *removed* trees/ect? Around here they just flood the area once the dam is finished and call it good. The submerged dead trees under the water are super creepy.

[@jennyknepper]

They are also good habitats for fish!

[@ginog5037]

Contamination in the water quality, that's why they only leave the building foundations.

[@onieyoh9478]

Just another example of why metropolitanism is a blight on the world.

[@richmoore5525]

NYC is the best and worst of most everything. The worst was never addressed and therefore it leads to the decline and debauchery of NYC, and the dominance, ruling and parasitism of the rest of the state for no regard whatsoever of other peoples.. This was a good but glossed over small portion of what really happened. For example, the people were not handsomely rewarded for their places, old claims were withheld in hopes the complainant would die and no settlements would need to be paid. The idea of eminent domain was upended as the city had no legal authority to take land from a larger entity, such as a county. This was finalized with supreme court rulings, but the corrupt government granted this and every wish of NYC, as that was where the majority of legislators came from. Therefore they had the majority. So much for democracy. The history runs deep there, and it would be nice to interview those of us who remain and were small children when this happened. I for one, rode the school bus for 2 years as I watched them destroy my homeland of Cannonsville/Granton. This was lands cleared and farmed by people and ancestors for century's, and in my family, goes back to pre-revolution times. Oh, the stories I can and have told, that occurred during a loving and crucial stage in any child's life. AND, I could go on and on. Like the time in Granton, when the BWS moved in there as a headquarters. They held a picnic for the locals. They also let the adults shoot Thompson submachineguns. Their message, we can be nice but are going to get what we want and will use force, even deadly, if necessary. Thanks for reading. Peace and love to you all.

[@davidmoore6546]

I appreciate your video, but....as was previously noted in prior posts. ..... you completely overlooked the impact the Muscoot and Croton reservoir systems had on a more densely populated area just north of NYC in Westchester and Putnam counties. Those water supply systems were created much earlier than the Catskills systems.

[@cookieskoon2028]

Even in the north Appalachian people are considered expendable. I have seen one of these in person, I forget which as I was a kid at the time. You can see the remains of homes in the right conditions.

[@floydb5668]

I lived near some of these and I always appreciated them for their beauty

[@Faded-Tales-PreviouslyHarley]

Yeah, I live between Ulster and Schoharie so I've seen multiple ones. They're absolutely stunning, but I never thought about those who suffered for them. I couldn't imagine being told to move because my house is going to be torn down and I have no say.

[@floydb5668]

@@Faded-Tales-PreviouslyHarley I completely agree

[@robertphillips6296]

“The needs of the many out way the need of the few.”

[@jessekooistra6200]

Please cover the Tock's Island Dam project. So glad it never happened but the towns are gone nonetheless.

[@edwinsalau150]

So many those poor people that had forms for hundreds of years. Many were Dutch descent! Remind me of what is going on now in the Netherlands. There were some people committing suicide! They knew from the test borings that the dam would not hold. Someone told me the holes are still there.

[@rustyneuron]

My grandparents lost 100 acres of bottom land to a reservoir that was built in the 70's; they had no choice, it was condemned and flooded.

[@--Paws--]

That's a lot of towns, I can't believe the sacrifice those citizens gave up.

[@Duececoupe]

Love the channel and the videos, how about some videos on lost mansions of Detroit, New York etc., etc., I imagine there's a fair few beautiful buildings lost to history....😥

[@indianastan]

Tennessee Kentucky and Vermont have THE best tasting water 💦💧

[@SoundBlackRecordings]

Living in Mount Shasta, CA I can assure you they do not have the best water in the country. HAHAHA

[@beavis8167]

I'm answering your thumbnail why towns were lost because they got flooded because of the reservoir/damn

[@patricklarm5462]

Isn´t taht ironic? settlers who forceably replaced the indigenous people now being displaced too by a group of outsiders.

[@adamwrong7791]

a bunch of people had to give up their lives and homes because a bunch of jerkoffs wanna live somewhere the resources can't support. entitlement at its finest smh

[@stevencooper2464]

The price of unbridled growth can be very high, and often paid by those who do not benefit from the growth. Soon, humanity will pay the price on a global basis. Will we never learn.

[@fieldy69420]

Hamilton city in ohio actually had won worlds best tasting water a bunch.

[@19smkl91]

Its so sad that the money is what makes the world go round, just because New Yorkers had more of it they get to destroy the history and traditions of those towns.

[@francoanthoney1993]

Clean water for whom? The giant rats?

[@patrickdurham8393]

Gotta have something to wash down that pizza!

[@RussellPolo]

He talks about "rumor of relocated homes" , Several buildings in Katonah, were moved from the rising waters. Photos are easy to find and even real-estate listings will mention it.

[@sweetbeats6940]

Reminds me of that scooby doo movie where an old fashioned town was submerged in that lake and the guy tried to steal the gold or something

[@toyyoda3710]

Amazing! i grew up not far from that area and am fascinated by infrastructure works... So what i'd like to know next is where does all that water go after people are done with it

[@Bill23799]

NYC WATER BOARD Isn't that the Intelligence Collection Section of the NYPD ?

[@ksmurphable]

I don’t doubt that the tops of buildings were visible at one point when the water was low enough I had a cousin who was boating in a man-made lake here in Connecticut and the water level is been really low and she ended up bottoming out her boat and dying in the accident but it like ripped off the whole bottom of the boat the chimney of someone’s house that hadn’t been torn down and you know it’s so many years of people going through there no problems that people forgot about it and no one cared

[@newavenues3705]

Please do a it's history segment on the town of Oscarville and lake laneir, Georgia I think people will find it interesting....

[@jonhancock7695]

The TVA did the same thing during the depression when making Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake

[@gregbolitho9775]

Be interesting if dive teams went down for a look.

[@--_--IMP--_--]

Did nobody tell Neversink to never say never?

[@jacobw2573]

the eminent domain actions continue to the present day....

[@darylmulwane3430]

NYC thinks that it does not stink. IT should its own state and have buy our water.

[@nickabel8279]

Ain't it great how quickly america went from the idea of freedom to the gov can take what it wants

[@Mr99Burns]

You want freedom move a jungle lol

[@nickabel8279]

@@Mr99Burns so they a 1st world nation can steam roll u in silence like has been done meant times?

[@jessejames7757]

We still don't have clean drinking water in the United States.

[@dangerrangerrob4664]

no wonder the pizza is the best there 👏🏻

[@Sedgewise47]

🤔Yeah, that’s what I’ve been *often* told…

[@Right-Is-Right]

nYC pizza is no better than the pizza shop down the road. The difference being the huge slices and greassy cheese, that makes it pretty crap.

[@RonnieRawdawg]

5:44 is storm king mountain which is Hudson Highlands the Catskills are about 45 mins north of that

[@brettbaker9350]

When I lived the 4th house down from the cannonsville I got very interested in the history. My grandfather was the head mechanic at queensfarms in the late 40s before it got flooded

[@ramcharger9146]

BRO YOU forgot to mention that everyone that got affected by those reservoirs also had to still stick to out houses and Wells instead of getting also hooked up to that great water system they had to move their homes and still stick to the old ways instead of getting hooked up to the new water system they really screwed those people

[@Tclans]

Question: why go through all the effort of demolishing those towns if they are going to be underwater in the future?

[@Redbeardian]

I'm guessing it's so that there's less chance of debris clogging up the intakes for the aquaducts/etc. same reason likely to remove all the trees and shrubs.

[@ginog5037]

Contamination of the water quality.

[@KBean-y7n]

Great video, perhaps in the future you could cover the rest of the reservoirs that were built over towns in upstate new york~ I grew up around Rome/Utica and always heard stories from my older family members about how the state government flooded the town of Delta for the expansion of the Erie canal.

[@Ubersnuber]

I prefer fresh and dirty water, myself.

[@darylmulwane3430]

NYC has to have our water when we subsidize their woke life style

[@artysanmobile]

Wait… Neversink?!?!?

[@kevinkeeney6693]

Yes. It was named after the Neversink River which is a shallow river. However, one can easily sink in the reservoir. 😉

[@covfefebigly768]

The residents of the Catskills live in New York State and therefore are also New Yorkers.

[@rwboa22]

Thing is that Downstate New York (NYC, Rockland and Westchester Counties, and Long Island) and Upstate New York are in essence two different states, yet sharing the same territory.

[@snapperhead273]

they let them dig up their own relatives out of respect ? wtf?

[@WTFM]

When I was a kid we were told old ghost stories about the old town under the Gilboa dam. To my knowledge all it is was kids imaginations but let’s just say kids thought there were ghosts under the dam. 😂

[@richmoore5525]

Those storys still persist today.

[@dannyjones3840]

I grew up in the Bronx, and as a kid playing outside in the hot summer, I would run upstairs, turn on the bathtub faucet, and drink from it. The water was always ice cold and delicious!!

[@cleverusername9369]

Why... why wouldn't you just use a cup and the sink like a civilized human being?

[@yojimbo3856]

@@cleverusername9369 average new yorker

[@Meta_Myself]

Watching this video made me thirsty for some water.

[@kennethbuettner9352]

While this was very interesting, it would have been nice if Brian took the time to learn the proper pronunciations of the local creeks and reservoirs about which he spoke.

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

I look forward to your channel where you create content with all of the qualities as this and achieve the subscriber and view metrics of this channel AND never mispronounce a word of any kind. Keep in mind there are many places that even the locals don't agree on proper pronunciations. In other words, until you can prove that you can do better, be appreciative of the entertaining content that helps you understand the world a little better.

[@annasamanthahazel]

He got most of them right. Ashokan and Esopus are tricky ones.