Ashokan Reservoir - Permitted Activities

Permitted Activities

Due to the need to ensure the safety of the water system, and to make sure the nearly century-old dams stay intact, only limited activities are permitted around the reservoir property, including fishing and logging. One needs a special licence to do such activities. For instance, if one is to go boating or fishing, which the reservoir is well known to the locals for, one would need a public access permit that was issued after 2002. Otherwise, it is no longer valid.

Also, such activities as swimming and diving are strictly prohibited. This is in order to make sure the water stays as clean as possible. It is also illegal to bring gasoline-powered motorcraft into the reservoir. This is in case gasoline leaks into the water and pollutes it. Pine and spruce trees were planted around the banks at the time of dam and lake construction to prevent erosion. It was also believed by engineers of the time that broad-leaved deciduous trees polluted the water with nutrients more so than conifers.

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the city and state decided to permanently close the spillway road to vehicular traffic as a security precaution. This has added a great deal more traveling time and distance for those on the south side of the reservoir to reach locations to the north. The city compensates the local school district for the extra fuel costs its buses have incurred. The Reservoir Road causeway, however, is still open.