Board of Water Supply. Silver Lake Reservoir. Method of building earth dikes. The surface is first sprinkled, and selected material is then spread over it and rolled with a steamroller. Each layer is about 4-inches in thickness. In 1913 New York City put out a bid for the construction of a 56-acre reservoir that would encompass the old Silver Lake and be the terminus for the Catskill water supply in Staten Island. The contract was awarded to Beaver Engineering and Contracting Company. May 5, 1914.