Schoharie Creek
Encyclopedia
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA flows north 93 miles (149.7 km) from the foot of Indian Head Mountain
Indian Head Mountain (New York)
Indian Head Mountain is a mountain located in the southeast corner of Greene County, New York.The mountain, named for the appearance of its profile, is part of the Devil's Path range of the Catskill Mountains....
in the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
through the Schoharie Valley
Schoharie Valley
The Schoharie Valley is a corridor that runs through Schoharie County from Schoharie, New York until Gilboa, New York.-Geography:The Schoharie Valley is made up of plains surrounding the Schoharie Creek. Within the Schoharie Valley are the locations of Middleburgh, Schoharie, Fultonham, Breakabeen...
to the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
. It is twice impounded north of Prattsville
Prattsville, New York
Prattsville is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The Town of Prattsville is in the northwest part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 700.- History :...
to create New York City's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Schoharie Reservoir
Schoharie Reservoir
The Schoharie Reservoir is a small reservoir in the Catskill Mountains of New York State that was created to be one of 19 reservoirs that supplies New York City with water. It was created by impounding Schoharie Creek...
and the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project
Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project
The Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project is a pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. The plant is part of the New York Power Authority, and can generate over 1,000,000 kilowatts of electricity, all of which is sent to New York City in the case of...
.
Two notable bridge collapses have occurred on the Schoharie Creek. In 1987, two spans of the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
collapsed. On August 27, 2011, the covered Old Blenheim Bridge
Old Blenheim Bridge
Old Blenheim Bridge was a wooden covered bridge that spanned Schoharie Creek in North Blenheim, New York. With an open span of , it had the longest span of any surviving covered bridge in the world; although the structure's total length, made it second in that respect to the Bridgeport Covered Bridge...
collapsed due to flooding from Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene (2011)
Hurricane Irene was a large and powerful Atlantic hurricane that left extensive flood and wind damage along its path through the Caribbean, the United States East Coast and as far north as Atlantic Canada in 2011...
.
The Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
crossed over the creek by an aqueduct at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, also known as Erie Canal National Historic Landmark, is a historic district that includes the ruins of the Erie Canal aqueduct over Schoharie Creek, and a long part of the Erie Canal, in the towns of Glen and Florida within Montgomery County, New York...
.
New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
bridge over the Schoharie Creek near Fort Hunter
Florida, Montgomery County, New York
Florida is a town south of the Mohawk River in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 2,696 in the 2010 United States Census. The town was named after the state of Florida...
collapsed. Five vehicles fell into the flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ed river, killing ten of the occupants.
A subsequent investigation of the collapse determined the cause to be scour
Bridge scour
Bridge scour is the removal of sediment such as sand and rocks from around bridge abutments or piers. Scour, caused by swiftly moving water, can scoop out scour holes, compromising the integrity of a structure....
.
Old Blenheim Bridge
The Old Blenheim BridgeOld Blenheim Bridge
Old Blenheim Bridge was a wooden covered bridge that spanned Schoharie Creek in North Blenheim, New York. With an open span of , it had the longest span of any surviving covered bridge in the world; although the structure's total length, made it second in that respect to the Bridgeport Covered Bridge...
, one of the longest and oldest single-span covered bridges in the world, formerly spanned the creek. The bridge was destroyed on August 28, 2011 by flooding resulting from Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene (2011)
Hurricane Irene was a large and powerful Atlantic hurricane that left extensive flood and wind damage along its path through the Caribbean, the United States East Coast and as far north as Atlantic Canada in 2011...
.
External links
- The Collapse of the Schoharie Creek Bridge
- The "Waste of Film" Page, page 1 (Dead Link) - Includes information on the detour used while the Thruway replacement spans were built.