The Simple Genius of NYC’s Water Supply System

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Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster

[@greg1994b]

I am a scientist that works for the DEP for the catskill Delaware system. You managed to pack in years of knowledge and understanding of our water system in 16 min. Great job! I should have new hires watch this video.

[@vedeshpersaud8030]

Just for my curiosity, can you build over the reservoirs, e.g., piers, floating structures? If not, why?

[@Dell-ol6hb]

thanks for your work, we appreciate it, the water is great

[@rndmtim2]

Yeah, I used to work for NYPA as a tech supervisor at Blenheim Gilboa (during Irene I got a lot of up close and personal knowledge of the Schoharie Reservoir), and I worked on the Ashokan power project... there were a few details here that I wasn't aware of.

[@MaximumEfficiency]

no thanks, your water is TRASH with the amount of chemicals either from air pollution plus adding fluoride, only an idiot would do that

[@kathyschreiber9947]

Thanks for your work. I rate NYC tap water the best I have ever tasted.

[@ryanlunde575]

I’m a pilot and last week I flew into White Plains, right over the Kensico Reservoir for Runway 16. It was a gorgeous summer evening and all I could imagine was paddle boarding on the beautiful lake I was flying over. I noticed that there was no traffic on the water and no houses on the shore which seemed strange given the lake’s proximity to a huge population center. Later I figured it had to be part of the city’s water supply to enjoy such a lack of disturbance and I got to thinking about what goes into keeping NYC hydrated. This video had perfect timing to my logistical ponderings. Thanks for some more outstanding material.

[@TheR971]

I was was paddle-boarding and saw a plane I would wish to be on it.

[@insertnamehere9950]

it's true i'm the plane

[@JurisKankalis]

At 10:35 there's an airport in direct proximity of the Kensico reservoir (which transports unfiltered tap water to NY). According to the available information, lead is still allowed as an additive in small aircraft fuel. And I thought I imagined that IQ is going down just by looking at Instagram and Facebook. Hmmm. So the lead-gate is still being continued since... thirties? How many millions have died due to it? Yet VW was given billions of fines - because, as MIT calculated, during all the years of dieselgate - 57 people - may have their lives shortened somewhat by the defeat devices VW installed in its engines for a couple of years. Oh, how we all love pandas, whales and polar bears and "saving the planet". Greetings from Latvia.

[@kevingreen5793]

That must've been Westchester County Airport you flew into and yes it's right near Kensico Reservoir. What airline do you fly for and where were you coming from?

[@yourmommashouse]

@@TheR971 you mean plane

[@SirNobleIZH]

Honestly, the fact that this single city has constructed all this show just how incredibly powerful and influential New York is

[@lookoutforchris]

If only you knew the whole story. NY is the center of the world, for good or for bad, for right now.

[@SirNobleIZH]

@lookoutforchris my brother in Christ I live there I know the story

[@jakubhajtaowicz2584]

Man i wish this Half as Interesting guy made videos of this quality. You have no competition from him!

[@midnatts-kornajoel2224]

He will have the half as interesting guy beaten. When he makes a brick video

[@jakubhajtaowicz2584]

@@midnatts-kornajoel2224 airplanes>bricks. You can’t destroy 1 airplane with 1 brick but you can destroy 1 brick with 1 airplane. Facts

[@emmi2670]

@@jakubhajtaowicz2584 pff you're just not throwing the brick hard enough

[@RuffianSoldier]

damn he out here catchin strays xD

[@sirBrouwer]

@@davidcontreras-fe9pb no Sam from Wendover made it very clear he never works with that weirdo Sam from Half As Interesting. (his words not mine). And don;t even talk about that lazy ass that narrates those videos on Extremities.

[@RTDragonCommando]

I'm actually hoping when they finally bring tunnel 1 offline we get some photos of what it looks like on the inside. No one's been in there for over 100 years, they found out in the 50's the sectioning valves were inoperable, so they couldn't even shut sections off for maintenance. As it is right now, if a major failure happened in tunnel 1 or 2 it would be a huge disaster for the city, the capacity just isn't there until tunnel 3 is fully operational.

[@nenmaster5218]

More Water-Shortage-Coverage: -Some More News -Second Thought Were running out of Water and The Water Wars are Coming are Videotitles that maybe should make us all watch the videos.

[@saosaqii5807]

I remember seeing somewhere that professionals do scuba dive in the tunnels for inspection or something.

[@googiegress7459]

Probably find a river of pink slime that reacts to emotions.

[@nick_riviera]

I can tell what it looks like inside: DARK AS HELL

[@dagda16]

Sounds like the start of a movie

[@TimeBucks]

Awesome video

[@baddusingh5883]

Great

[@goutammandal3259]

Hi

[@DouglasSpaulding-dy5uz]

Living in NYC, I am hugely grateful to the brilliant people who provide millions and millions of people with fresh, clean water every single day. 🙏

[@kellymulderino7156]

its not that clean ;)

[@michaelsmith-ws2mb]

Better than jerseys water. Ct too

[@reeddeer793]

@@michaelsmith-ws2mbCT water full of micro plastics and PFA chemicals

[@user-zb8tq5pr4x]

@@kellymulderino7156 If it's potable, it's clean.

[@nickgiordano2947]

Hey there, I used to work on the Kensico Reservoir in 2018-2022 as contractors for NYCDEP for the Waterfowl Management Program. Our job was to deter ducks and gulls from sitting on the reservoir and dropping their waste into the city's water by constantly scaring them away throughout the year. It was a cool job and the reservoirs are beautiful. Nice video!

[@Monocultured01]

That sounds like a pretty fun job.

[@reeddeer793]

Lol I’ve secretly swam in that reservoir 😛😛

[@iammaxhailme]

I was an intern in a chem lab in NYC's DEP chem lab one college during summer, measuring fertilizer and coliform concentrations. They knew it was a pretty boring internship so they tried to attract interns with weekly field trips (on paid time! Well, it was minimum wage...) to various water things... we got to go INTO the old croton aqueduct in Ossining. It's super cool.

[@seanlally7384]

Brah, how do I sign up? I live for water science.

[@richinoable]

Not my expertise but wow I'd give a lot for that opportunity. Sounds like you earned it. Good work!

[@bkarnofsky]

The 100+ year old graffiti from the workers who built it is amazing.

[@mckbalisong]

Back when I did an architectural thesis focusing on the pollution in the hudson river, you touched on basically everything for the the NYC water supply, but a topic idea for the future could be looking at combined sewer systems and seperate sewer systems. The hudson river still has raw sewage dumped into it during heavy rainstorms due to the existing combined sewer systems in the towns and villages along the hudson river. Potential future video idea for ya

[@liamhodgson]

That would be a great vid. I’m in Pittsburgh and we are in the same boat, probably about 4 billion to fix. I wonder what the nyc cso fix would cost.

[@requiemforameme1]

It’s still weird to me that Gowanus (our very own Super Fun site) is labeled basically as “South South Slope” now-a-days, and is full of strollers competing with bicycles for parking space.

[@filanfyretracker]

@@requiemforameme1 ive always wondered why the city does not just pull off the bandaid and fill the canal in, I mean is it actually used for anything other than throw away jokes about pollution and three eyed Simpsons fish? that is does anything along it still depend on it for moving stuff on barges.

[@robertoXCX]

Dude that's what I was gonna say! Combined Sewers are wack and while they may have worked in the past, they're really dangerous to continue operating today.

[@MrGlenspace]

Now waters much cleaner with reduced pollution and planting of I believe oysters to clean waterways. Interesting documentary on the subject.

[@jordanrivera467]

My dad worked at the Tarrytown water treatment plant all my life (and way before i was born) and it’s so cool to hear you talk about Croton because my dad would have to go cover there every once in a while. I remember going to the water treatment plants after school and just drawing, coloring, seeing giant tanks, all just because I was waiting for my dad to finish working so we could go home lol. Also really cool to hear some of the towns I grew up in/near in this video :)

[@kylebrammer321]

He worked at the Tarrytown plant? Did he work under Steve?

[@nickcullen4325]

I grew up with the Croton River Reservoir systems in my everyday background in Putnam County NY and was always in awe when I was told that (most) bodies of water I saw everyday were the Citys water supply. Most of my summers were spent hiking and fishing in NYC DEC controlled areas. Winters were spent walking on the ice watching the icefishers. The Citys land ownership has made the county artificially rural. This video spoke to me personally as I have spent time at almost everyplace you have shown. My great great grandfather emigrated from Italy to work on the New Croton Dam. This system and the infrastructure in it helped spark my interest in engineering at a really young age, and I went to college in the Catskill region near Kingston NY. This is also the most concise yet detailed explanation of the system I have found that taught me a few things I didn't even know despite having seen this entire system in the background of my life. Well done.

[@wallyjr.]

Hi, do you work as an engineer now and if so what's your specialty?

[@spuds6423]

I think you meant NYC DEP ...common mistake. I also grew up in Putnam county as well

[@yankees29]

Years ago my dad was going to move us to Putnam but we ended up on Long Island.😂 with we went up to Putnam. We have a summer house up in the Catskills further up the aqueduct.

[@greasaholic3502]

these videos never cease to interest me, as someone who isn’t really that much of a nerd. Sam never fails to make me interested in whatever topic. Thank you Sam!

[@burntashh3466]

mmmmh no ur definitely a nerd

[@Aleksandar6ix]

What does nerd have to do with it?

[@srikanthramesh8124]

Nerd.

[@IceTea2604]

He just is what every teacher should be

[@--2]

You’re likely a bit of a nerd if you’re watching tbh.

[@kirkrotger9208]

I love how Sam can correctly pronounce Poughkeepsie, but not potable.

[@ericvaninwegen6384]

Or "alum". (Al-uhm, not ah-loom)

[@martinhawes5647]

Given Americans can’t pronounce half of the English language correctly, I don’t think your internal arguments mean much.

[@SkateSka]

@@martinhawes5647 They even have american or british english options when installing windows. They're not wrong, it's just practically two different languages at this point.

[@TheRealParadigital]

Or even "Buoy". I'ts not a boo-ey.

[@kirkrotger9208]

@@martinhawes5647 I'm not going to take lingual criticism from a Brit. You guys can't pronounce any language correctly.

[@dannypipewrench533]

I always love water infrastructure. Canals, aqueducts, dams, reservoirs, and the massive tunnels that go with them. It is absolutely impressive the scale of such objects. It is as frightening as it is beautiful.

[@radium86]

I studied at Cornell University over a decade ago. I took a microbiology course and as a side project we looked at cryptosporidium parvum oocysts (ie. parasite eggs). These oocysts are spread by cattle manure and can contaminate drinking water causing diarrhoea. There was concern they could contaminate Catskill/Delaware aqueducts because there was runoff from surrounding dairy farms that drained into them.

[@rogerandjoan4329]

Go Big Red

[@dojostarfox4520]

.... Well did they?

[@jdillon8360]

Hence water treatment plants that kill all those bugs.

[@kartoffelmortis9402]

*Hears "cryptosporidium parvum oocysts"* *Instant Ap bio flashbacks*

[@milotheviewer]

I am SO glad Sam called it the Tappan Zee and not the “Mario Cuomo Bridge.” The majority of us locals have refused to accept the change

[@uhuhuhuhuhuh3537]

Yep. The new bridge is a generic-looking eyesore too

[@jimurrata6785]

@@uhuhuhuhuhuh3537 At least it isn't falling through or sinking into the Rockland shallows.... 😄 I'm a fan of the new bridge, if not it's appearance.

[@Superduck120]

@@uhuhuhuhuhuh3537 eh at least it looks better than the old one

[@uhuhuhuhuhuh3537]

@@Superduck120 I mean, that's fair, but the bar's so low on that one that it's basically sunken into the hudson river

[@rndmtim2]

I mean... RFK Bridge? Ed Koch Bridge? Jackie Robinson Expressway? Anyone who grew up in NYC is rapidly becoming useless for giving anyone directions. The fun truly begins when you try to explain directions on the BQE and someone asks "oh you mean 278?" thanks to Google...

[@sumitshresth]

Its really a modern engineering marvel to see such a mega design that serves millions even now. Wish we had similar level of foresight now for our modern problems that could serve future generations.

[@Fractured_Unity]

It does seem that quite tragically, most modern people have lost the perspective of history for their actions.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

New York thinks they're SO smart. They didn't bother drowning four towns to make a massive reservoir like us in Massachusetts. Lazy strap-hangers!

[@kingsley869]

Thinking about New York going green that would be some SCALE

[@jonathanodude6660]

We are trying but there’s a lot more pushback now after acknowledging our impact on native ecosystems and how that can affect farming fishing scenery and wildlife.

[@JamesBond-xx1lv]

@@Fractured_Unity people literally can't think more than 2 years ahead now... And that's actually being generous. People used to think DECADES ahead.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

New York state in general has really good water throughout most of the more rural areas anyways. Where I grew up the water supply came from artesian wells and and was consistently rated as among the top 10 public water supplies in the country for purity.

[@joeiacovino9660]

Yep, growing up we always drank tap water, blew my mind to find out that a lot of people don’t trust tap water in most places

[@drewh3224]

Most often I found the tap from NY water was better than those water bottled sold in the stores and supermarkets.

[@Lucifer-fj7mg]

Yet that’s definitely not the case in lots of other countries

[@ckrgksdkrak]

The problem is not within the central water supply, it’s within the old pipes in the buildings and your faucet itself. You will be surprised how much impurity I’ve found all over the city. The way they tout “clean” water baffles us. All they do is measure it at the central site.

[@donaldleider7382]

Born and raised in NYC, every time I travel somewhere I am reminded that we have the best water in the world!

[@VirtualRoadTrip]

I live right next to the Ashokan Reservoir. Been studying the NYC water system for years. I love going out into the woods to find all the century old engineering like the aqueduct.

[@runescapestats534]

As a water utility worker I find this fascinating. The idea of not needing to filter surface water is truly unique. We actually filter ours twice. The first stage is mechanical particle removal and the second is adsorption of organic material

[@ChaplainBobWalkerBTh]

another water worker here also and agreed

[@adrianlilholm5186]

Does the filtering eliminate the need for chlorine, Or do you also add chlorine to the water?

[@BZK-.]

@@adrianlilholm5186 from my understanding it also depends on how clean the pipes are. and unchlorinated tap water does definitely exist (such as in the netherlands)

[@marionette5968]

When you set your standards low enough, anything is possible.

[@hydrolifetech7911]

@@marionette5968 are you serious? NYC actually has a reliable water supply that is tasty, of such a good quality it doesn't need filtration. If you watched the video and actually paid attention, you'll find the lengths they went to to make sure the water is safe. Maybe you just want to whine because it is NYC

[@FlavorLab]

When he said the physics of siphons was not fully understood, I had to remind myself that this was not Half as Interesting

[@bungaIowbill]

Is he really wrong, though? The following is an excerpt from the 2015 paper 'The height limit of a siphon', published in Nature Scientific Reports: "Although the siphon has been used since ancient times, the means of operation has been a matter of controversy [CITATIONS]. Two competing models have been put forward, one in which siphons are considered to operate through gravity and atmospheric pressure and another in which gravity and liquid cohesion are invoked." So while I don't think it was really necessary to discuss the why at all in the context of this video, and enough to just mention how it works, I think the phrasing used in the video seems fine since it would be unreasonable to go into more detail.

[@FlavorLab]

@@bungaIowbill no I definitely don't think he is wrong, but for some reason it felt like something that that wacky guy at HAI would say before cracking a joke about Applebee's

[@Kishanth.J]

Jeez I thought that statement was just a joke but apparently not. The physics of siphons is not fully understood, how does interesting.

[@stevenette4738]

I mean, they are pretty well understood. It's like my old roommate saying "We don't know how bicycles work!?" Like, yes we do, but there are just some minor physics contributing to the problem that are affecting it in a way not fully anticipated.

[@filanfyretracker]

@@bungaIowbill I have honestly always thought it was once the fluid got moving it was pulling a vacuum in the line, And since a tube is sealed the only source for filling the void is more water. I make this opinion and support it by the fact that pipes for which the faucet can potentially cause backflow to the water lines of the building you have these little caps called a vacuum breaker, if water tries to flow backwards like it would with a siphon the little valve opens breaking the siphon.

[@savigg174]

As someone who has lived in Ny state on the Saw Mill pkwy, my local water quality rating always is in the top 10 of 150 counties around me, which always felt awesome, and as a Bike RIder I have driven through all of these reservoirs, in summers and during the fall, it is a very beautiful place to be, also my cousin had to do a project on the water system for the city, where I learnt all of this interesting stuff. It feels great hearing all the familiar places you have been to are actually a really big part of a larer system. Great video and really well made, now I am going to share this with all of my family.

[@baronhelius4596]

I live about 1/2 a mile from the Ashokan reservoir. And what you said about DEP cops up here is no joke. They are everywhere as well as helicopters flying overhead. Especially in the warmer months. I’m a native New Yorker so I can see both points of New Yorkers and locals up here. The paranoia the city has about the water purity makes life for locals very frustrating. I always found it ironic that my water source is terrible well water. Un drinkable due to its nasty smell and taste. Yet right next to me is this huge water source that is untouchable for us locals.

[@babalu1987]

Shandaken resident born and raised. We kept digging deeper to avoid sulfuric water table. Our water is perfect. Talk to a well digger/geologist about a new well

[@baronhelius4596]

@@babalu1987 Thanks John but im a renter. And my landlord just aint gonna do that. Used to live in West Shokan and the water was perfect. Dont know if youve heard but the town of Shokan is looking at putting in a waste water facility. Has to be because the city is so paranoid about individual septic tank systems.

[@thekub32]

@@baronhelius4596As an NYC resident, I apologize. That sounds terrible.

[@baronhelius4596]

@@thekub32 Haha. It’s all good. It’s just frustrating. Like I said, I’m a native New Yorker and I always took for granted our water source until I moved upstate. It would be nice if the city allowed areas that immediately border the reservoir to tap it. But that’ll never happen.

[@saturnianali8r]

Around the American Legion? That sulfur water stinks. I love the promenade path on the south, but still miss being able to drive across the dam pre-9/11. At least we are still able to drive across the bridge though. For a while after everyone had to avoid the bridge entirely and you had to make your way to 28 exclusively on 28A.

[@Artyomi]

Interesting, I was just in New York yesterday and pondered this same exact question while overlooking the Hudson River - how such a massive population center surrounded by undrinkable water can support itself. I checked the maps and saw basically no substantial reservoirs nearby and no rivers besides the Hudson which, just by looking at it, definitely isn’t drinkable.

[@CurseUppl]

Guess you're gonna be confused when you look at Europe, since most Europeans don't get their water from reservoirs ;)

[@edwintorres1327]

Than where?

[@nenmaster5218]

@@edwintorres1327 More Water-Shortage-Coverage: -Some More News -Second Thought

[@BetleyIsland36]

Actually the quality of the water from the Hudson isn't bad in the northern half until around Poughkeepsie, like he mentioned in the video, and plenty of people rely on it for drinking water. The river bed is pretty muddy so it can make the water appear as if it's not drinkable, but it is

[@theguy3500]

It's not self-sufficient it literally cannot survive without the Upstate.

[@MansaMusa_ll_of_Timbuktu]

Currently reading Empire of Water by David Soll which focuses on the history of NYC’s water supply. This presentation is just as informative and the images are something that books just can’t replicate. Great work!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I never would have thought "the history of NYC's water supply" is a topic I'd be interested in reading about, but after watching this video I'm inclined to check out that book

[@MaximumEfficiency]

sure water full of chemicals is great!

[@onesob13]

@@MaximumEfficiency what exactly do you think pure water (dihydrogen monoxide) is if not a chemical?

[@someguy1688]

@@onesob13 dont use logic, it startles him.

[@zacharywong483]

I love the word choices in your scripts Sam and Tristan (and whoever else was involved in writing this video)! Also thank you, as always, for providing many of the metric conversions of their imperial counterparts!

[@LiveFreeOrDie2A]

“The physics behind how siphons work is not fully understood..” -I LOVE learning the random things modern science STILL can’t actually explain. Like explaining how BICYCLES work is still a complete mystery in physics despite DECADES of research & experiments searching for an answer of HOW BICYCLES SELF-STABLIZE? It’s a mystery so beautifully humbling to hear.

[@philpots48]

When I lived in Long Island City, Queens, when I went to bed, I'd hear a very low humming sound. Then one day reading the paper it mentioned the digging of Water Tunnel #3 going under the East River several hundred feet below. I then realized the humming was not in my mind.

[@marcocunha]

I love how Wendover calls the Tappan Zee Bridge what the locals call it instead of its actual name. No one calls it by its actual name, not even Wendover 😂

[@clomino3]

This didn't even occur to me wow. Impressive for a dude from Colorado

[@aaronsirkman8375]

Wait, I missed that, how did he refer to it? Edit: I saw in another comment, never mind. I didn't even realize it had been renamed; why would anyone call it anything other than "The Tappan Zee"?

[@kjj26k]

@@aaronsirkman8375 Especially when the alternative is so much worse

[@jimurrata6785]

_Nobody_ from Westchester, Rockland or The City is going to call it that *new* name! It's been Tappan Zee since the Dutch were here (without a bridge)

[@Willgtl]

@@aaronsirkman8375, I'm about to blow your mind even more. it was renamed from Tappan Zee to Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge in 1994. But literally nobody called it that because most people didn't even know they renamed it back then.

[@Gainsforlife]

I am a resident of NYC and have used the water here all my life. You managed to pack in years of knowledge and understanding of our water system in 16 min. Great job! I should have new residents watch this video.

[@GameyCat]

Why did you copy the most popular comment and made it so people have a stroke reading it?

[@vasiliosniamonitakis3705]

Beautiful job distilling such a fascinating topic into a concise 15 minute video. I’ve lived in NYC my whole life and only just found out that the longest tunnel in the world sits right in my backyard! Thank you for shining a light on this incredible system 👏🏼

[@Batmans_Pet_Goldfish]

As a New Yorker, being able to drink good tasting tap water is great. I recognize that not everyone has that privilege, so I am grateful for it. Also having lived in a place where I could basically see the Kensico Dam from my house, it's quite a sight. Not monstrously tall, but impressive nonetheless. And the little green at the base of the dam is a great place to relax.

[@nenmaster5218]

More (arguably better?) Water-Shortage-Coverage: -Second Thought -Some More News

[@arolemaprarath6615]

Thanks the Brits. US is very well planned country because of the British Empire. Luckily u guys were not a former Spanish colony since Spain was a failing empire, backward and no progress. Look at Mexico and Argentina.

[@firesurfer]

It is! I've had lunch there after a bike ride a few times. It's really nice.

[@whodoesntlikesurfing]

"Good tasting"? LOL

[@deicide666100]

You drink it? I don’t think that’s a good idea just throwing that out there

[@niklasxl]

its interesting that the next longest tunnel is for the Helsinki water supply which is a substantially smaller city and the tunnel is only about 10% shorter :D though the bedrock there is very stable so probably more afordable

[@lucaskp16]

also a size difference not just lenght

[@steven.2602]

Also gotta consider security reasons. The threat of invasion looming over a country influences a lot of things including infrastructure.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Helsinki is good with water. That's why it's called Hel _sink_ i.

[@spamuel98]

According to Food Theory (spinoff channel from Game Theory) New York's water has lower chlorine levels and higher fluoride levels than other places in the U.S., which allows yeast to do its job better and longer before the chlorine kills it off. That extra yeast time allows the pizza dough to stretch extra thin without breaking, and affects the flavor.

[@MegaRolotron]

Finally, a reasonable justification for consuming dangerous chemicals.

[@TheFreeBro]

The physics of the siphon are actually really well understood. Just based on pressure

[@Garage-physicist]

He needs to take his own advice and take a class on Brilliant

[@phoenixmaemind]

Seeing that they re-chlorinate the water at certain points puts the food theory video about the water being why NYC Pizza is so good into more perspective.

[@RK-cj4oc]

What?

[@phoenixmaemind]

@@RK-cj4oc food theory (MatPat) did a video looking at the claim that NYC's water is why the pizza is the way it is. Comparing the treatment of his local water and some from the north he saw that the fluoride and chlorine levels likely affected the consistency of the pizza dough. Sam mentioned in this video that because of the distance traveled, the water is re-chlorinated. Just a coincidence in my viewings.

[@jackiechan7909]

I never get it why in the US chlorine is used so heavily. For me as a European the taste is close to undrinkable.

[@phoenixmaemind]

@@jackiechan7909 most likely because our water has to travel farther to reach the taps and can be exposed to more water borne pathogens along the way.

[@qaasi95]

@@jackiechan7909 dude I've been to several different European countries, I think you just got a bad area. Drinking water should have very low concentrations of chlorine. And I don't notice the difference where I'm from. But the US is really big so you can have a radically different experience.

[@chasecohen9006]

Im from new york and when i was in elementary school we took part in a program that connected upstate schools and downstate schools to learn about the water program and connect the two. it was really cool because we got to go upstate to the reservoirs and do the filtration tests. the program was funded because there is some animosity because the city flooded multiple towns in the creation of the reservoir and many people here dont even know the history

[@mrr9636]

A grad school classmate of mine used to study and work with that program It seems like a success overall.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

That's really cool. It's always great for kids to engage with local history.

[@luciferangelica4827]

ja, you city people got a whole different idea about what upstate is

[@PetsoKamagaya]

Excellent! Having grown up in and around NYC, it is true we were always proud of the great refreshing cold water we got from the tap. The research you have done on this is amazing! Well done.

[@peace2all]

This is exhibit #1 in how NYC and NYS have a symbiotic relationship. Upstate supplies water to a city that could not exist without it, while NYC supplies NYS (as well as nearby states, and to a lesser degree the US), an economy and tax revenue stream it could not exist without. Peace - John

[@kaikaichen]

Many years ago, I remember the news program on ABC called "20/20" running a blind taste test where they pitted NYC's tap water against like 10 different brands of bottled water. From what I remember, the NYC tap water ended up getting second place. I guess I now know part of the reason why!

[@jefflewis4]

It might have been good morning America, they did that blind taste test in 2001. NYC tap water was first place, Poland Spring came in 2nd place. Though really almost half of all bottled water sold in the US is really just purified tap water.

[@xHanno97x]

At 8:20 there is an error. The technical term for this phenomenon is communicating tubes. However, this only applies to static systems, not to dynamic systems. When water flows, it loses its energy through friction (head loss).

[@norml.hugh-mann]

Same thing used to call drive home arguements with the ex

[@ivanxdxd]

Inverted siphon is the correct engineering term.

[@xHanno97x]

​@@ivanxdxd Since I'm studying water engineering in Germany, I had to look up this term. For me, the term only applies when avoiding obstacles (like hudson river) and not for the entire system.

[@JaySmith91]

The video was very weak around 8:20 "The physics behind siphons is not fully understood; there are competing theories"... is downright misleading. The physics is super basic and well-understood for all intents and purposes. Sure there were nuances around the contributions from surface tension and cohesion, which can provide similar effects at low pressure and in zero g, but for the most part it's basic pressure differential, first year undergraduate engineer stuff, super easy to calculate and intuit. I have seen quite a number of KZbin videos now which say "it's not well understood" when in reality the meaning is "I don't understand it personally".

[@googiegress7459]

@@JaySmith91 He didn't say whom it was not fully understood by; could have meant himself.

[@mattmccoy1014]

I drive past the Ashokan reservoir all the time going skiing, and back home I’m around 3 miles from one of the more southernmost nyc reservoirs. Most of us in the area know some of this of this but it’s awesome to see such an in depth video on it. The DEP thing is serious, I have an access permit since you need it for a lot of hikes and mountain biking.

[@riaanperold4653]

An excellent portrayal of what it takes to provide potable water to a megacity! A follow up of this video, focusing on dealing with the downward outflow of a city's 'used' water, will assist residents of the value added, and problems faced, by their local City Engineer's Department! Well done.

[@whatsadog2445]

8:15 TIL "The physics of Syphons is not fully understood". Uhm looks pretty clear to me: Gravity and greater mass on one end. If downwards-facing, the longer leg contains more water which when falling pulls the water behind it. If upwards, the same, except the longer tube pushes down.

[@jasonreed7522]

Its all about the pressure on either end, but a real syphon magically flows up hill so long as the level of the water entering the pipe is above the exit point and the line has no air in it. This is possibly what he meant by not fully understood but i assume that people specialized in the field actually know the real physics reasons for it. A pipe that drains a lake and never rises above the level of the lake isn't a syphon, its just a normal gravity pressurized water main. (Water wants to be level, a pipe is just a funny container shape so it wants the water at the end of the pipe to be level with the water at the start, and thats basically it for how the aquaducts move water)

[@SenorBigDong69]

There are competing theories, that is only one possibility

[@flywithhuddy]

Fun fact: If the Sacandaga Reservoir wasn't built, then the Hudson River would flood and lead to the cities of Poughkeepsie and some parts of New York City being flooded.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Well, would Poughkeepsie really be that big of a loss?

[@thatf_inguy8220]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 yes

[@dearyvettetn4489]

Thank you for the deepest dive on the origins of the water I spent nearly half my life drinking, washing and playing in. Like so may others things in the city it was something I completely took for granted.

[@PatrickJago]

My city uses about 50 MGD ( million gallons per day) New York uses a billion? That blows my mind! Treating the wastewater would be another great video.

[@xplayman]

Thanks for calling it the Tappan Zee Bridge, though I don't know if that was on purpose, instead of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. No one local calls it by that name because the State Capital took over naming it without any support from the locals of either county the bridge connects. There's been a political movement from both counties to have it rename to something that locals would agree on.

[@jimurrata6785]

We'll just keep calling it The Tappan Zee, and probably graffiti the signs.

[@firesurfer]

@@jimurrata6785 Quick, what is the new name for the Triboro bridge?

[@jimurrata6785]

@@firesurfer Quick? 1st off it's not just one bridge. So technically it depends which span you're on. The signs say RFK but I've always called the Randall's - Manhattan span the Harlem River bridge. This complex was the nexus of Robert Moses' extra governmental 'authority'. (now the port authority of NY/NJ)

[@kmech3rd]

When I first saw the new towers and heard the new name, I immediately thought "Eye of Sauron".

[@m4x927]

I ain't gonna lie, I never knew that's the actual name until recently. I always heard just "tappan zee bridge".

[@TriglycerideBeware]

The map visuals in this video were excellent, especially the 3D maps that show underground depth

[@johnpotter8039]

I did a laboratory installation at the Croton Reservoir intake structure back around 2000. The client, who knew of my interest in the site engineering, took us on a tour of the large mixing valves, designed to draw in different levels of water. Then, at a lower level, inside of a chain-link enclosure, he showed us a tall wooden box, maybe 3' x 3' x 6'. The outside was dark, crazed varnish with noticeable rusted piano hinges. He began to swing parts of it open, revealing an 1890s-era swing-away model of the then new aqueduct intake structure. It was exquisite, with railings about 1/2" high and the concrete funnel cast in plaster. There was a darkened bronze plaque on the inside honoring the commission that oversaw the aqueduct improvement. All of the names were Irish, naturally. This had been built to carry around to different investors and to show off the plans to the public. I don't know what has happened to the model. I hope that it is in good care.

[@johnw9190]

That answered a lot of questions I had growing up in the Bronx. We also had small reservoirs inside the 5 boroughs. I lived by the one in the Bronx. They were always talking about building a water treatment plant on that spot to meet stringent federal water quality standardes. People outside of NYC are surprised when I tell them that NYC is actually award-winning. You can imagine we REALLY thought the idea of bottled water was ridiculous. I stopped drinking from the tap when I moved, even to upstate NY.

[@squiggleworks9]

The disgusting taste of the tap water was the first thing I noticed when I lived Upstate during college

[@bentleyspotter]

Thank you for making a video on this topic. I’ve been acutely aware of the complexity of NYC’s water source since I learned that my great great grandfathers farm was purchased via eminent domain along with the whole town of Cannonsville. That town no longer exists , along with many other towns, as they were bought to flood for these reservoirs. The buildings and churches still exist under the reservoirs today. The only thing that was removed was graves.

[@AnthonyGerardiAndroidWare]

Same with the original town of Ashokan.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

There were settlements that were flooded for the Allegany reservoir over where I am from in the western part of the state. A friend of the family who is in her 70's now clearly members having to vacate the family home back in the 1960's when the reservoir project began. The town is called Red House and now has like 14 residents scattered throughout the little bit of land that was not overtaken, the villages within that town flooded some 60 years ago and with it went most of the population. For those of you not from New York, "town" in this state is a subdivision of a county, and within a "town" there can be multiple villages or hamlets, just to clarify because most people would consider town to be synonymous with village but here it is rather an area than an incorporated settlement.

[@tourguideStan]

See my reply regarding Cannonsville. I was there just before it flooded.

[@JBS319]

I spent much of my childhood in the Catskills, especially by the Ashokan Reservoir. There are trails on the dams and dykes along the banks and on an old rail corridor that was until recently supposed to be restored as a tourist rail operation. Fishing is allowed, but only in flat bottom rowboats and you need a permit to go out. There’s a ton of wildlife in and around the reservoir as the Esopus Creek which feeds it is a trout stream. Various waterfowl can be found on and around it and there are at least three nesting pairs of bald eagles by the shores.

[@mryamaho]

this was an amazing watch, it was highly intuitive and constantly had me pondering about factors throughout the video which then also get addressed

[@Pierce_Johnston]

Learned about the delaware tunnel recently and was fascinated, I live near where it crosses under the Hudson. So cool to learn more about it!

[@FalconsEye58094]

He called it the Tappan Zee bridge, THANK YOU

[@MarceloRezende7]

Great work Sam. There is another key factor that contributes to the system, which is the PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services) program that provides alternative income for the land owners to protect the land (when private).

[@jimurrata6785]

Taxes are quite low if you live in the watershed abutting DEP land.

[@workingguy6666]

An absolutely stellar video presentation of a stunningly large water system I didn't know about. Thank you!

[@kpag3030]

that's all pretty amazing. great video. the simplicity and complexity all at the same time is fascinating

[@Mr.McMuffin]

I live right on the Croton Aqueduct in Westchester, and I run along it quite often. I gotta say, it's amazing what we have here in New York and thanks for helping explain it to all of us!

[@aaronsirkman8375]

@@jimmye5700 But are the Aquamergansers?

[@sowhat184]

I love how you used the term Tappan Zee bridge in the first minute of this.

[@larroyo1973]

Newark has an equally impressive aqueduct system linking the city to its multiple reservoirs in the hills & small mountains of New Jersey.

[@RavindraSinha]

Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing the knowledge

[@dereklenzen2330]

Awesome video. I like how this channel focuses on real, impressive feats of engineering like this, instead of fake "tech bro" pipe dreams like Hyperloop and SpinLaunch. I'd rather watch something like this than some CGI-inspired stupidity any day.

[@flp322]

If you enjoy that, you must also check out the B1M and Practical Engineering.

[@heidirabenau511]

Tomorrow's Build (Second channel of the B1M) has done a video on what happened to the hyperloop and Real Engineering has done a video on Spinlaunch

[@thefrozenfireball9690]

@@heidirabenau511 I found the Tomorrow's build video gave way to much credit to the hyperloop which is obviously failing in the real world, and I still believe that hyperloop has basically no use cases (just use a train lol) but the real engineering video on spinlaunch was actually very insightful and well made, and making launching satellites cheaper is a real problem that is worth attempting to address. The working 1/3 scale prototype launching at Mach 1.6 is at least convincing enough evidence to continue development I think.

[@JoeTheo2000]

Thank you for calling it the Tappan Zee. It's criminal that the best named roadway in the NYC area was renamed

[@suj2125]

I’ve been waiting for a video about our water for ages!! This was brilliantly done and thx for putting the sponsor at The end and I’m impressed how the subliminal messaging had me use the word brilliantly even before I saw the sponsor ad!!

[@seeyoucu]

Astounding project and fantastic video!

[@centurion1945]

The bypass tunnel and everything that's gone into it is probably one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of the modern era. Just to get done to the tunnels elevation, workers had to dig a 900 ft (275m) deep shaft, straight down through solid rock

[@blakelowe9079]

When I visited my friend in New York, I refilled my water bottle at his tap and immediately was concerned as the water was so cloudy I couldn't see through it. I asked him if he drank the tap water and he said of course. When I looked back at the bottle, the water was perfectly clear. It turns out that the pressure used to pump water up into skyscrapers forces air into the water. When it exits the tap, the air turns into millions of microscopic bubbles that gradually get bigger and exit the water as it reaches normal pressure. Really cool effect for someone who had never seen it.

[@norml.hugh-mann]

You may have accidently used the jiz tap (ONLY AVAIALABLE IN GREENICH VILLAGE)

[@luciferangelica4827]

@@norml.hugh-mann well, that and at yo mama's

[@keithklassen5320]

The world's longest tunnel before the Delaware Aquaduct was actually a 3000yr-old qanat in Iran stretching 71km, bringing water to the city of Zarch. Most Western media seems to be unaware of qanats; they're a mind-blowing ancient accomplishment that can hardly be matched today. The network of people who maintain them is disappearing, and they themselves are almost invisible, leading to widespread ignorance about them. For thousands of year, they've provided water and even in some cases a surprisingly sophisticated passive air conditioning system for many people, mostly in Middle-Eastern places.

[@CodyvBrown]

this video was incredible. have always wondered how this works and amazing to see the scale of what was built before.

[@ronalddevine9587]

If you've never tasted NYC water, you are in for a treat when you do. It has a very clean taste, not unlike bottled water.

[@photinodecay]

It is actually subjected to more stringent purity regulations than bottled water.

[@ronalddevine9587]

Not surprising

[@sgtleobella]

This was highly interesting. Y'all knocked another one out of the park, Sam and crew.

[@lukeedwards6027]

I grew up near the Neversink reservoir, I always wondered how the water got to the city. This was very informative! Thx!

[@tourguideStan]

I was 5 years old in 1960 when my family took its weekly car trip from Chenango County NY to Binghamton, to see my grandparents. From there we swung down to Deposit NY in Delaware County, to see my cousins. My Uncle told my parents about the work going on in nearby Cannonsville. The whole town was being destroyed while they built a dam on the creek there. So we drove over to Cannonsville. When we got out of the car, my father showed me the creek and said that all that water will eventually flood the entire Valley. He pointed out a farm up on the hill, saying that that farm would not have to be moved but everything below it would be covered with water in a few years. So the people had to move from this town. Across the street from us a woman stood on her porch roof with 2 workmen. The workmen wore pocketed canvas toolbelts and she was telling them how to preserve her stained glass windows on the upper floor. Next door a workcrew was crowbarring apart the roof and walls of a house. Dump trucks were on the street, slowly being filled with wood as the houses were demolished. I asked why they were destroying the houses and damming the water. My father explained. "Far away there's a big town. And the people there are thirsty. They need water. There are so many people in that town that there's not enough water for them nearby. So they're building a big tunnel to bring this water to them. The tunnel will have pumps inside that look like window fans. They don't want pieces of wood floating into those pumps because the pumps will stop , and the water won't get to the town. So the wooden houses are being taken apart to get all the wood out of the town before the flooding starts." There are around 8 million people in New York City. I'm probably the very last one who remembers Cannonsville before it became a reservoir. I think about it every time I take a drink of water.

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

Things YOU DIDN'T KNOW you need to know.

[@madat5843]

LOL same here I stopped doing what I was doing to watch something I never cared about.

[@krissp8712]

Why did you edit your comment so much lol

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

@@krissp8712 LOL I tried making it shorter, as too long a comment is just a bit too much.

[@BetleyIsland36]

Yoooooo I wasn't expecting a hometown Poughkeepsie shout-out in this video! You nailed the pronunciation too

[@matthewtymczyszyn8948]

DOUBLE U R R V POOOOOOUGHKEEPSIE

[@BetleyIsland36]

@@matthewtymczyszyn8948 the home of rock and roll

[@jimurrata6785]

@@BetleyIsland36 Saw MANY shows at The Chance back in the '70's & '80's. 😄

[@electrofelon]

What’s even more interesting is that the cities jurisdictions span even further beyond the reservoirs shown here. There are multiple sewage treatment plants in upstate New York that are owned and operated by NYC. Most of those plants discharge into the Esopus Creek, Neversink River, and Deleware River, downstream of where the water diversions are. So the actual span of the operation is even larger than we see here! It’s really amazing actually.

[@JonathanCabot]

awesome archival footage

[@Kaiserland111]

I work as a water/wastewater engineer, and I want to thank you for this entertaining look into the critical and complex work we do. Thanks Wendover!

[@pangalactictuber]

Thank you for the hard work you do!

[@cjc2010]

I can't wait for Adam Something's video on this next week!

[@boreanonekatto8146]

Bruh

[@GenericUrbanism]

Or OBFs

[@juancarloslinares233]

Great video again man. We take for granted such monumental achievements, your videos produce a humbling feeling that I wish everyone could share to better appreciate the hard work and the very long way we have come from as a civilzation.

[@richarddecker9515]

My uncle Theodore Decker died while building the Delaware Aqueduct at Shaft 2A, in Kerhonkson, in February 1940. He was one of five that died that day. I live above that tunnel, shaft 2A, 1550 feet down. Shaft 2A was an after thought. All the shale by there was hauled up as tunnel muck. Both My father was a welder and my grandfather George Decker worked there. It was good pay.

[@DaArcaneNinja]

I feel envious at the engineering achievements of both the water and subway system because I feel like I will not see any new developments in this lifetime. Everything is so profit driven that it doesn't matter the overall good it would contribute. It's just as necessary now as it was back then to maintain these marvels!

[@greenmachine5600]

Your right unfortunately

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

In China they are laying flat. We can do it too. Even better: form laying flat communities, and with enough people you might have the combined power to achieve something

[@lukebradley7879]

NYC subway system is nothing compared to the London tube

[@firesurfer]

@@lukebradley7879 I wouldn't say that. It depends on what you are measuring. NY 248 miles vs London 251 miles, 1,65b vs 1.2b person year. 24 lines vs 11, 468 stations vs 270, 2.75 vs 3.75 per trip. The cars themselves are bigger, cleaner and air conditioned in NY.

[@SofaSpy]

@@firesurfer not to mention the tunnels for the path trains which are underground subway network That connects Manhattan to New Jersey and are "separate" from the New York City subway, and the underground tracks for three other commuter rail services, (metro north, long island railroad, and NJ transit. Plus all the road tunnels in NYC. There are so many tunnels in New York that some of them are not even being used. Sad that we're no longer building for the future.

[@purplealice]

I have spent quite a lot of time on the shores of the Ashokan reservoir, and it's a beautiful location.I haven't taken the time to visit the water treatment plant, but the dam and the tunnel that carries the water down to the city are magnificent constructions. I also used to live near the Croton Dam. I once drove past the water treatment plant, and decided o stop in and see if they'd give me a tour. They did, and I found out that making water fit for humans to drink is a complex process.

[@ChakatNightspark]

2:40 I am Originally From there. Kingston NY. Born there until I moved away at 17. Kingston, NY to NYC took 90 mins as it was 90 miles away. Albany was 60 miles away so 60 mins it took. But I used to go Fishing at Ashokan Reservoir and even walked the Trail out there.

[@grower420ed4]

This was a very knowledge fulfilled video thank you for the amazing content

[@kytom2548]

Thanks for using the former name of that bridge. It will always been the Tappan Zee

[@derfmaster64]

A memo on the correct pronunciation of certain words: 1) the 'pot' in potable rhymes with boat and 2) alum has a 'short u' vowel sound (phonetic rules would usually create a 'long u' if the word ended with an 'e').

[@aaronmeyers4845]

This is by far a top 10 KZbin video ever made. Amazing video brother, honestly loves it .

[@Superduck120]

One of my favorite parts about my hometown will always be the Kensico Dam and how beautiful the reservoir looks in the fall.

[@daved2820]

Amazingly you can go fishing/boating on a lot of these reservoirs, even in sections of Kensico which holds some of the largest trout around New York City because of the deep cold water.

[@Nadu16]

If only my city, Monterrey, Mexico, had thought about the access to water for future generations, we wouldn't be facing this water crisis that has left entire neighborhoods without water for almost 2 months now. Everyone please take care of your water, you never know when it's gonna run out.

[@kevingeorge644]

Outstanding,fascinating engineering, love it, man's ingenuity, great job

[@kikaflowers70]

Wow! So informative and educational! Thank you! I really enjoyed watching this! Living now in NYC, it's good to know how important and crucial to have such good water to serve 9 million people!

[@forceoffriction]

I live in White Plains right near Kensico and a friend of mine is an environmental scientist who works for a company that does a myriad of testing and surveys at the reservoir Kensico Dam Plaza is often used as an outdoor venue, which is always cool. EDIT: Always nice to find people who pronounce Poughkeepsie correctly. And thank you for still calling it the Tappan Zee.

[@philip6979]

Siphons are, in fact, quite well understood. It's simple physics... pressure.

[@lukagovedic9681]

Hahaha I was looking for someone saying this! Great video but I do dislike when people either try to increase their legitimacy by invoking the "multiple competing theories" or simply don't know what they're talking about or

[@someonestoleyoursweetroll3236]

Essentially, yeah, but it's a bit more nuanced then that: the exact force that siphons use is actually still debated. It was thought that atmospheric pressure was the cause, but siphons have been shown to work in a vaccum. So, the current theory is that it's actually the cohesion of liquids (like water with its hydrogen bonds), along with gravity, that let siphons work.

[@ominousplatypus380]

@@someonestoleyoursweetroll3236 On Wikipedia it says that vacuum siphons only work if "the liquids are pure and degassed and surfaces are very clean" so I think it's still safe to say that siphons you actually see in the real world work because of air pressure.

[@someonestoleyoursweetroll3236]

@@ominousplatypus380 Yes, of course. Gravity will always be a major factor on systems that are affected by it. I was moreso saying that it's usually more than one force besides just pressure going on to create a syphon. As far as purity goes, a fish tank can be siphoned, so there is some level of impurity that seems to not greatly affect the siphon's force.

[@SkateSka]

The way water climbs up a sponge, or up trees however, is some surface tension magic I don't fully understand.

[@umberceri1441]

I think I can honestly say - I have never thought about where the water comes from for NYC. This was an absolutelly fascinating video of the water of NYC. And as always this narrator is totally the best! I don't know who you are sir but you are the best!

[@kanealoha]

That was very well done.