Frank E. Winsor was the engineer in charge of construction of both Hillview and Kensico as well as 32 miles (51 km) of the Catskill Aqueduct.

In 1993, city officials considered building a concrete cover over the reservoir to prevent excrement from seagulls contaminating the water with bacteria and viruses.

[4] In March 2019, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) made an agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cover the reservoir by 2049 to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

They also agreed to enhance efforts to manage wildlife at the reservoir in the meantime, eliminating cliff swallow nests and capturing or killing waterfowl.

[5][6] Sometime around1956, a seaplane attempted to land in the reservoir and either needed more runway length or didn't make the water and crashed on the Kimball ave slope