But rapid population growth in the 19th century and encroachment on these areas as Manhattan moved further north of Wall Street, led to the pollution of many local fresh water sources. Before the aqueduct was constructed, residents of New York obtained water from cisterns, wells, natural springs, and other bodies of water. It dwindled as the city grew rapidly after the American Revolutionary War, and freshwater sources became polluted by effluent. The island of Manhattan, surrounded by brackish rivers, had a limited supply of freshwater available. Although the aqueduct was largely superseded by the New Croton Aqueduct, which was built in 1890, the Old Croton Aqueduct remained in service until 1955. It was built because local water resources had become polluted and inadequate for the growing population of the city. The great aqueducts, which were among the first in the United States, carried water by gravity 41 miles (66 km) from the Croton River in Westchester County to reservoirs in Manhattan.

The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 18.

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