Great Swamp

The Great Swamp in eastern Putnam and Dutchess counties is one of the largest wetlands in the U.S. state of New York.

The Great Swamp, also known as the Great Patterson Swamp, is located in eastern Putnam and Dutchess counties, in the U.S. state of New York. The swamp covers almost 6,000 acres of land in the Putnam County municipalities of Southeast, Patterson, and the Dutchess County municipalities of Town of Pawling, the Village of Pawling and the Town of Dover, making it one of the largest wetlands in the state. The Great Swamp is located at the northern end of the intruding suburban development from Westchester County and New York City to the south. Roughly 40,000 people live in the 63,018-acre watershed, which is divided into two sections at Pawling. To the north, the water flows from the Swamp River into the Ten Mile River, which flows into the Housantonic River, and in time reaches the Long Island Sound. To the south, the East Branch of the Croton flows southward to the Croton River, and eventually into the East Branch Reservoir, one of New York City's drinking water reservoirs. The Great Swamp is a Critical Environmental Area, designated DP-22 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The largest single body of water within the Great Swamp is Ice Pond, accessed by a steep dirt road. Ice Pond was utilized for at least two ice harvesting operations, one of which dates back to 1867.

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