Ossining Weir Tour

Everyone knows that Jay and I love to explore...once we found out about The Ossining Weir Tour, we had to do it. Ben and Ilana joined us as we descended into the brick pre-Civil War water tunnel. The Weir Chamber is one of the access points of the Old Croton Aqueduct that allowed workers to access the tunnel for maintenance and repair.

Here we are on top of the pedestrian bridge.

Overall, the tunnel is very well-preserved and maintained. Note the water line on the sides of the tunnel.

This map showed exactly where NYC gets its water.

This massive piece of metal closed off the tunnel when necessary to redirect the water.

We used the buddy system in the tunnel.

It was very cold and dark in the tunnel. Our tour guide said bats love to hide out in the tunnel over the winter. Good thing we visited in June!

The developer was very thrifty when making the tunnel. In parts of the tunnel, natural bedrock was used instead of bricks.

Capillary roots from trees above are seeking the water in the tunnel.