New York City is looking to renovate drawdown infrastructure in the famous park’s largest body of water
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Parts of the Central Park Reservoir that have been in place since the 1800s will soon be replaced.
New York City’s Dept. of Environmental Protection is currently accepting bids from contractors to renovate the former source of drinking water and bring it up to current safety standards. Bids are due at 2 p.m. on March 17 for the reservoir piece of a larger $24.6-million rehabilitation contract.
The Central Park Reservoir is contained by an earthen embankment that has a storage capacity of 1,040 million gallons. The CPR served to store and provide potable water to Manhattan until 1993 when it was decommissioned.
Photo Courtesy New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection
Built between 1858 and 1864, the reservoir—sometimes called the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir—was on the receiving end of the first major aqueduct built by New York City. While it stopped providing potable water in 1993, some of the original infrastructure, such as pipes and valves needed for drawdown, are still in place.
The approximately 1-billion-gallon, 106-acre reservoir has been considered Hazard Class C, or “high hazard,” by the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation since the Federal Emergency Management Agency debuted dam safety standards in 1983. Safety regulations also state that 90% of water impounded below the spillway crest has to be able to be drawn down within 14 days. Although the Central Park Reservoir can meet those standards, “that depends on using original infrastructure … that may not be reliable in an emergency,” according to a Dept. of Environmental Protection spokesperson.
The agency iseeks to make sure drawdowns go according to plan by replacing sluice gates, gate valves and check valves; lining sewers; and generally updating mechanical systems in the gatehouses.
Besides mechanical and structural renovations in Central Park Reservoir gatehouses, New York City is looking to have water mains sealed at each location.
Photo Courtesy New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection
Structural aspects will also get attention. Trees and root systems have grown into the embankment over the years, so the contractor will have to pull those and make stone and grout repairs, the spokesperson said, with a likely addendum for dividing wall repairs. Work will also cover structure restoration at all three gatehouses such as window and doorway security renovations. Last spring, the department asked the public for ideas on how two of the three gatehouses could be converted into reservoir and water system educational sites, noting that the updates should be “faithful” restorations. A representative for the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit organization tasked with caring for the park, said it had no additional comment on the work planned.
The Central Park Reservoir is all that’s left today of the Manhattan holding basins that provided potable water until 1993 from the Croton Aqueduct. It was preceded by the structure between 79th and 86th street, which was completed in 1842.
Photo courtesy DEP/NYC Water flickr
The department “received and reviewed the RFI responses, and is developing next steps,” the spokesperson said.
Arcadis is the project’s engineer of record, while Gannett Fleming and Dewberry jointly serve as construction manager overseeing Central Park Reservoir and Silver Lake Reservoir rehabilitation. Also a one-time holding basin for New York City water, the latter reservoir on Staten Island is undergoing similar updates.
Construction in Manhattan is planned to start in the winter of 2026 and run four years.
