Every Lake
Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake
Built 1917 to supply New York City drinking water; boats have never been allowed on it.
- 13 ft · first step
- 27 ft
- 40 ft
- 54 ft
- 67 ft
- 81 ft · bottom
About Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake
Kensico Dam was completed in 1917 across the Bronx River valley in Westchester County, New York, creating a reservoir that collects water from the Catskill and Delaware aqueducts before it continues to New York City. The dam and surrounding grounds sit in the towns of Mount Pleasant, North Castle, and Harrison. Rye Lake forms the reservoir's northern arm. Because the reservoir supplies drinking water for millions of city residents, swimming, fishing, and boating have been prohibited on it since it opened.
The reservoir covers roughly 1,895 acres with a shoreline near 24 miles and a modeled maximum depth around 81 feet. Its water travels south through underground aqueducts rather than a river, so there is no boat traffic, marina, or lakefront development along its banks. Kensico Dam Plaza, a park at the dam's base, draws walkers and cyclists rather than anglers. The surrounding land is largely watershed buffer, kept undeveloped to protect the water supply it holds.
- 6 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 517 roads engraved around the shore, 5 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 13 ft, 27 ft, 40 ft, 54 ft, 67 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 81 ft. The lake covers about 3.2 square miles, and 517 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake.
Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Kensico Reservoir / Rye Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 81 ft
- 3.2 square miles of water
- 517 shore roads engraved, 5 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
