The Ashokan Reservoir glistens under the morning sun, a vast, placid expanse reflecting the Catskill peaks. Tourists stop to admire the view, unaware that beneath the surface lies the ghost of another world—farms, schools, and entire towns sacrificed for New York City.

“These lakes cover a bitter history,” said historian Diane Galusha. “People drive by, take photos, maybe kayak—but they don’t realize entire communities were lost.”

For over a century, New York City has relied on upstate reservoirs to supply its water, reshaping the Catskills through one of the most ambitious engineering projects in history. Galusha’s book, “Liquid Assets,” chronicles the human cost of that transformation—how thousands were forced from their homes through eminent domain, their towns drowned beneath artificial lakes.

“We’ve given enough,” she said. “The watershed communities insisted that no eminent domain ever be used again.”

The reservoirs provided clean, unfiltered water to millions, but left lasting scars. Even today, tensions between upstate residents and the city persist. Some see the reservoirs as a forced sacrifice, others as a paradox—while they erased communities, they also protected the region from overdevelopment.

“The city came here unbidden, trampled over the people who were already here,” Galusha said. “But its presence has preserved this region.”

On March 22, World Water Day, she will present “Esopus Dreams: How New York City Reshaped the Catskills” at the Morton Memorial Library in Pine Hill, an illustrated talk on the engineering marvel and the lives forever altered by it.

She hopes city residents take a moment to acknowledge the cost.

“When they make their morning coffee, they should say a silent thank-you.”

Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.