East Delaware tunnel, diagram of roof support specifications

Abstract

This illustration shows the roof support specifications for the East Delaware Tunnel, part of the tunnel system constructed for New York City's water supply from the Catskill watershed. In 1905 the New York State legislature passed an act allowing the City to acquire lands and build water control structures in the Catskills for its water supply, including the East Delaware Tunnel, West Delaware Tunnel and the Rondout Tunnel (Delaware Aqueduct). The Delaware Tunnel is a 25-mile long tunnel that channels water from the Pepacton Reservoir, completed in 1954, to the Rondout Reservoir for its eventual transportation to New York City via the Delaware Aqueduct.