 In 1885, the old Kensico Dam was built south of the village of Kensico, NY as an additional source of water for New York City.The earth and gravel dam formed a small lake from water supplied by the Bronx River and the Byram River, but it was still not enough for the ever-increasing population of New York City.A reservoir was needed that would contain waters from various new reservoirs and act as a holding tank for distribution to New York City.