The Holy Ossining Water Tour

Long before humans learned to cook their meat over a fire and to build the wheel to transport their goods they looked for ways to get clean drinking water to where they lived. The quest for pure water must have begun in prehistoric times but the earliest water treatment records come from Sanskrit writings and Egyptian inscriptions and indeed water does have an important history in the development of civilization. Clearly, no nation, state, or community can survive or prosper unless it can deliver abundant clean water to its citizens and Ossining is no exception. In this regard, everyone is invited to take a tour that explores the history of Ossining’s quest to bring the elixir of life to its residents.  The tour begins at the Village of Ossining’s water filtration plant and the nearby Indian Brook Reservoir in Crotonville where Chief Operator, Stephen Ho will explain how he and his staff produce their highly acclaimed water for Ossining and other surrounding communities.

After a BYOBL (Bring Your Own Brownbag Lunch) at the reservoir, the tour resumes at the underground “Weir Chamber” next to the Ossining Community Center where visitors actually enter the Old Croton Aqueduct to see how drinking water was once delivered to New York City. The Old Aqueduct was in service was in service from roughly 1837 to 1955. However, much of Ossining’s drinking supply is still delivered from the Croton Reservoir to the Ossining Water Filtration plant via the old brick lined aqueduct. Tom Tornowsky, Vice President of the Friends of the Old Croton will lead this discussion.

The final stop of the tour will be at the Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant where Ossining’s used water and other stuff ends up and made nearly harmless before it flows into the Hudson River. Dianne Barrowman will explain how it works. In case you are wondering, she  advises that there is no need to wear a nose plugs.

The  tour is scheduled rain or shine on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at 12:00 PM. It begins at the Ossining Water Filtration Plant, 25 Fowler Avenue, (Crotonville) Ossining, NY. Consult Google or MapQuest for directions.It’s sponsored by the Ossining Historical Society Museum Inc. with assistance from the Rudolph and John Dirks Fund. Contact miguel.hdz@verizon.net  for further information.