Nineteen Reservoirs: On Their Creation and the Promise of Water for New York City

New York Review of Books contributor Sante (Low Life) plumbs in this rewarding study the history of New York City’s reservoirs and the displacement that followed the city’s increasing demand for water. Sante swiftly covers New York City’s first concerted effort to find a supply of clean and potable water upstate following a 1798 yellow fever epidemic, as well as more recent attempts to meet rising demand with the 1965 completion of the Cannonsville Reservoir. Sante also notes that for the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir in the early 20th century, “504 private houses, 35 stores, ten churches, ten schools, nine blacksmiths’ shops, seven sawmills, and a gristmill” were displaced, and dozens of cemeteries, family burying grounds, and Native American remains were moved. Accompanying the text is a wealth of archival materials, including postcards, maps, photographs, and newspaper clippings, that bring to life the communities sacrificed to create a water supply for New York City. The combination of well-crafted prose, rich archival illustrations, and eye-catching photographs of the reservoirs make this memorable. The chronicle is anything but dry. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary. (Aug.)