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The Schoharie Creek watershed contains approximately 216 miles of stream including, traveling from east to west, Roaring Kill, Cook Brook, Gooseberry Creek, Red Kill, Shanty Hollow Brook, and John Chase Brook along with numerous other unnamed tributaries. Elevations in the watershed vary from a high of approximately 4,040 feet above sea level in the Town of Hunter to a low point of 1,140 feet above sea level at the Schoharie Reservoir.

The Schoharie Creek is dammed by the Gilboa Dam, creating the Schoharie Reservoir just outside the Catskill Park in the Schoharie County Town of Gilboa. The reservoir covers 1.9 mi², is 140’ deep, and receives 80% of its water from the Schoharie Creek. The other 20% comes from local direct drainage basins. At the reservoir part of the water is transfer through the Shandaken portal to the Esopus Creek and Ashokan Reservoir. The Ashokan provides approximately 10% of NYC’s drinking water. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) operates this drinking water supply under a Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD) issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Health. Central to the maintenance of the FAD are a series of partnership programs between NYC and the upstate communities, as well as a set of rules and regulations written to protect water quality.

The Schoharie Creek watershed is located in the southeastern region of New York State. Approximately 80% of the 93 mi² or (59,519 acres) main stem watershed lies within the Greene County towns of Hunter, Jewett, Lexington, Prattsville and small area of Ashland. The remainder of the watershed lies within Gilboa, Roxbury, and Conesville.

The Schoharie Creek begins in a large wetland complex at Prediger Road in the Town of Hunter. The surrounding landscape is mountainous including the high peaks of Indian Head, Twin, Kaaterskill High Peak, Sugarloaf, Plateau, Hunter, and Rusk Mountains. The Schoharie Creeks meets up with County Route 23A flowing parallel to the roadway through the Village of Hunter, the most urban setting along the creek, and continuing through the Towns of Jewett, Lexington, and finally into Prattsville and its confluence with the Schoharie Reservoir.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a network of stream gages throughout the country, with a number of active gages on the Schoharie Creek and its tributaries. A stream gage, a device that primarily measures water level, is necessary to monitor stream discharge and develop hydrographs or a graph depicting amount or depth of stream flow over time. Hydrologists use a hydrograph of a stream to analyze flow patterns and trends such as flood frequency or drought cycles.

There are two continuously recording stream gages located on the Schoharie Creek; one in Lexington downstream from the Bush Road Bridge (established 1999, drainage area 96.8 mi², USGS ID# 01349705) and the other in Prattsville upstream from the State Route 23 bridge (established 1902, drainage area 237 mi², USGS ID# 01350000). Prior to 1996, a crest stage gage was maintained at Lexington starting in 1929. All gage information including real time discharge and gage height is available online at the USGS website:

Lexington Gage http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv/?site_no=01349705

Prattsville Gage http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv/?site_no=01350000

Lexington staff gage, which is used to make a visual reading of stream stage.

Prattsville gage house which holds stream gaging equipment.

For more detailed information and hydrographs for the Schoharie Creek see the Schoharie Creek Management Plan Section 2.4 Hydrology and Flood History.