April 23, 2020

Closure needed while DEP addresses beaver damage at pond alongside trail

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced Thursday that it has temporarily closed the Shavertown Trail in Delaware County while engineers address damage that was caused by beavers at a pond adjacent to the trail.

The trail, which opened in 2013 on a small mountain overlooking Pepacton Reservoir, features a 1.1-mile-long hike to a scenic overlook at Snake Pond. In recent days, visitors informed DEP of significant beaver activity at Snake Pond. A review by water supply engineers found that beaver dams and lodges had allowed the pond to overfill and damage a small dam that impounds water in the pond.

The small pond covers a surface area of about one-half acre. DEP stabilized the site on Wednesday by using pumps to remove water from the pond. The pond is fed by a series of natural springs located on the hill; water from those springs was also diverted to a nearby stream to prevent the pond from refilling. The condition at the site poses no threat to public safety or other infrastructure. Engineers are currently working on a long-term plan to stabilize the site and address the dam. The Shavertown Trail will be closed while that work is ongoing. Signs have been posted at the trailhead, located just off Route 30 near the Shavertown Bridge, and at the adjacent boat launch area.

DEP acquired the property through its land acquisition program in 2010, and opened the trail in partnership with the nonprofit Catskill Mountain Club in 2013. The small dam that created the pond was built many decades before DEP acquired the property.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9.6 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $168.9 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with $20.1 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.