Introduction
Encompassing approximately ninety-three square miles, the Neversink
Reservoir watershed is located in Ulster and Sullivan Counties,
NY. The Neversink River, including both its East and West Branches,
drains seventy-one square miles; twenty-two square miles drain
directly into the Neversink Reservoir through two dozen small
tributaries. The Neversink watershed lies predominantly in the
Towns of Denning and Neversink, with a small portion of its headwaters
in the Town of Shandaken, and very small portions of the Towns
of Liberty and Fallsburg draining directly into the reservoir.
The mainstem divides approximately 8.7 kilometers (5.4 miles)
upstream of the Neversink Resevoir into two major Branches, East
and West; all three of these mainstems have long narrow watersheds
running northeast to southwest. This drainage pattern is controlled
by steep topography, formed in large part during the last period
of glacial activity. Streams in the Neversink valley are primarily
perennial streams, that is, they flow year-round except in smaller
headwater streams or in extreme drought conditions. Mean annual
precipitation in the watershed ranges from 1220 to 1410 mm (48-55”).
The watershed is largely forested, and road density, impervious
cover and percentage of the watershed with buildable soil conditions
are all relatively low for the Catskills, resulting in low development
pressures and high raw water quality. The primary water quality
impacts are from atmospheric deposition and management of road
embankments and crossings.
In the next few years, the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection (NYCDEP) will be reaching out to stakeholders and natural
resource managers responsible for the Neversink watershed to develop
a comprehensive Stream Management Plan. Similar plans have been
developed for other sub-basins and basins in the Catskills (see
below). These Plans are multi-objective, and are intended to promote
the coordination of resource management and education and outreach
on a broad range of management issues, including emergency response
to flooding and long-term protection of ecological integrity.
Maps
Click
here for a larger view of the above map
Click
here for a larger view of the above map
USGS Gage Links
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains 6 continuous-recording
stream gages in the Neversink River watershed above the Reservoir.
These gages measure the stage, or height, of the water surface
at a specific location, updating the measurement every 15 minutes.
Click on the Station ID number of your gage of interest to receive
real-time water surface data from USGS.
| Station
ID |
Station
Name |
Drainage
Area (Mi_) |
Current
Period of Record |
| 0143400680 |
E BR NEVERSINK R NORTHEAST OF DENNING |
8.93 |
Oct 1990 - present |
| 01434017 |
EAST BR NEVERSINK RIVER NR CLARYVILLE |
22.9 |
Feb 1937 - present |
| 01434021 |
W BR NEVERSINK R AT WINNISOOK L NR FROST VALLEY |
0.77 |
Jan 1991 - present |
| 01434025 |
BISCUIT BK ABOVE PIGEON BK AT FROST VALLEY |
3.72 |
Jun 1983 - present |
| 01434498 |
WEST BRANCH NEVERSINK R AT CLARYVILLE |
33.8 |
Jul 1991 - present |
| 01435000 |
NEVERSINK RIVER NEAR CLARYVILLE |
66.6 |
Jul 1951 - present |
Demonstration Restoration Projects
No Demonstration Restoration Projects currently exist.
Stream Management Plans
Click
here for Intro to Stream Management Plans
Basin Specific Studies
No Basin Specific Studies currently exist.
Contact Information
NYCDEP
Mark Vian
Project Manager
71 Smith Ave
Kingston, NY 12491
(845) 340-7851
mvian@dep.nyc.gov
|
