The 'Quabbin Reservoir' is the largest body of water in the
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Built between 1930 and 1940, it is the primary water supply for
Boston and many towns in Eastern Massachusetts. It also supplies water to several Massachusetts towns west of the reservoir. It has an aggregate capacity of 412 billion U.S.
gallons (1.56 km³) and an area of 38.6 square miles (99.9 km²). Quabbin Reservoir water flows to the
Wachusett Reservoir using the
Quabbin Aqueduct. The Quabbin watershed is managed by the
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation; the water supply system is operated by the
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The
Winsor Dam and the
Goodnough Dike form the reservoir from impoundments of the three branches of the
Swift River. The Quabbin Reservoir is part of the
Chicopee River Watershed.
History
Metropolitan Boston began to outstrip its local water supplies in the early part of the
nineteenth century. Many possible sources of water were explored, including groundwater and rivers, but none was considered adequate in quantity and cleanliness to meet the needs of the rapidly growing city. After several years of controversy, the
Massachusetts General Court authorized the construction of the
Cochituate Aqueduct to bring water to Boston from
Lake Cochituate in
Wayland.
Public policy
This established three important policies, which remain in force today:
#Public, rather than private, ownership of the public water supply system.
#Use of upland reservoirs, with gravity-fed rather than pumped supply systems.
#Watershed protection, rather than filtration, as the primary mechanism of ensuring wholesome supplies.
Increased demand
By
1875, with demand again on the verge of exceeding supply, the Boston Water Board was established to take over the operations of the Cochituate Water Board, construct five new reservoirs on the Sudbury River in
Framingham, Massachusetts, and a new Sudbury Aqueduct to deliver that water to the city. In
1895, the Massachusetts Board of Health issued a report analyzing population and water-use trends, and recommended the creation of a Metropolitan Water District, serving several suburban communities in addition to Boston, and the construction of two new reservoirs: one on the
Nashua River northeast of
Worcester, and one in the
Swift River Valley.
Metropolitan Water District
The General Court acted to establish the Metropolitan Water District, including 26 communities within ten miles of the
Massachusetts State House, later in 1895. The
Wachusett Reservoir was completed in
1908. The Board of Health study had anticipated that
Swift River water would be required by
1915, but this prediction had proven overly pessimistic. The introduction of mandatory water metering in Water District communities, and other efforts to reduce waste and inefficient uses, made it possible to delay construction of new water sources until the
1930s.
Frank E. Winsor
Frank E. Winsor was chief engineer for the Metropolitan Water District from 1926 until his death in 1939. He was closely involved in the design and construction of
Winsor Dam,
Goodnough Dike and the Quabbin Reservoir. Winsor Dam is named for him.
Swift River Valley endorsed
A
1922 study officially endorsed the
Swift River Valley as the next extension of the water system and created the Metropolitan District Commission (
MDC), now the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (
MWRA), to oversee the construction and maintain the system after its completion. In
1926, construction began on the first stage of the project, a tunnel connecting
Wachusett Reservoir with the
Ware River. This is called the
Ware River Diversion. During the 1930s, this tunnel was extended to the
Swift River. The complete tunnel is now known as the
Quabbin Aqueduct.
Swift River Valley residents opposed
The project was enthusiastically supported by lawmakers in the Boston area, but bitterly opposed by residents of the affected towns, who took their case all the way to the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, but lost. The state of
Connecticut also unsuccessfully sued
Massachusetts, claiming waters that were rightfully meant to flow into the
Connecticut River and subsequently through their state, were being illegally diverted.
Reservoir formed
Before the reservoir’s construction, there was a hill in Enfield called Quabbin Hill and a lake in Greenwich called Quabbin Lake. Named for a Native American chief called Nani-Quaben, meaning ''place of many waters'', these became the basis for naming the new reservoir. The Quabbin was formed by inundating the
Swift River Valley, a drainage basin lying entirely within the state, by damming the river and a
col, through which Beaver Brook would have otherwise provided another outlet for its water. When construction began in
1936 the Swift River was redirected from its riverbed through a diversion tunnel. On August 14,
1939 that tunnel was sealed with rock. Over the next seven years the waters of the Quabbin Reservoir slowly rose behind the newly completed
Winsor Dam, an earth-filled structure 2,640 feet long, rising 170 feet above the riverbed, and the slightly smaller
Goodnough Dike. The water gradually submerged the roads that had linked the towns. It swallowed all but the peaks of about sixty hills and mountains, transforming Prescott Ridge into Prescott Peninsula.
Towns disincorporated
The Quabbin's creation required the flooding, and thus the disincorporation, in April of
1938, of four towns:
Dana (located in
Worcester County),
Enfield,
Greenwich, and
Prescott (all located in
Hampshire County). The towns are the namesakes of housing complexes at nearby
Hampshire College. These towns may have been the inspiration for
H.P.Lovecraft's supernatural story,
The Dunwich Horror.
The land remaining from the dissolved towns was annexed to surrounding municipalities, including
Belchertown,
Pelham,
New Salem,
Petersham,
Hardwick and
Ware. Because of New Salem's annexation of the Prescott Peninsula, a large wedge of land shifted from Hampshire County to
Franklin County. In addition, thirty-six miles of the
Boston and Albany Railroad's Athol Branch were abandoned (originally the Springfield, Athol and Northeastern Railroad).
Route 21, formerly reaching Athol, was truncated to the south side of the reservoir, and new roads - now
US 202 and
Route 32A - were built on each side.
While the buildings in the towns flooded by the reservoir were destroyed, the cellars were left intact. The remnants of the buildings and roads can occasionally be seen when the water level is low, and old roads that once lead to the flooded towns can be followed to the water's edge. Not all elements of the towns were flooded, however. Town memorials and cemeteries in the four towns were moved to the Quabbin Cemetery, located on
Route 9 in Ware, just off of the Quabbin's lands. Many other public buildings were moved to other locations.
Chicopee Valley Aqueduct
In 1947, the Massachusetts Legislature authorized the construction of the
Chicopee Valley Aqueduct to deliver Quabbin water to three communities in Western Massachusetts:
Chicopee,
South Hadley, and
Wilbraham. In
1951, with the Quabbin-Wachusett system sufficient to meet foreseeable needs, the Cochituate Aqueduct was abandoned, and the Framingham reservoir system was placed on emergency stand-by.
Present day
Because of state restrictions, most areas around the reservoir are accessible only by foot, through fifty-five surrounding gates. Few people ever go into the deep woods, and it has become a wildlife area. Bald eagles, moose, bears, foxes, and wildcats share the habitat. Large portions of Dana are on higher ground, and its remains, predominantly cellar holes, as well as the former town green (where a historic stone marker was placed) can be visited. Much of Prescott is also above water, on what is now known as the Prescott Peninsula, but it cannot be visited because of state restrictions, although there is an annual tour of the town conducted by the Swift River Valley Historical Society. A few houses and roads exist which were once part of North Prescott (now
New Salem), and there is a town line marker just north of the gates, indicating the former town line for Prescott. Cellar holes have been filled near the center of what was once Prescott to accommodate the
Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory operated by the
University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Recreation
Fishing is allowed in designated areas in the northern portions of the reservoir. There is a visitor center south of the reservoir, as well as an observatory tower, the Enfield Lookout. This area is accessible by car from the south using State
Route 9. The reservation is a popular spot for hiking and other outdoor activities. This area was formerly part of the town of
Enfield, which was annexed by
Belchertown.
Popular Culture
The reservoir is featured as a prominent plot element and set in the
2003 movie based on
Stephen King's
novel Dreamcatcher.
Mark Erelli wrote a song, "The Farewell Ball", which was released on the 2004 album ''Hillbilly Pilgrim''. It tells the story of the last night of
Enfield, MA - one of the four towns "drowned" to create the Quabbin.
Resources
★ Tougias, Michael. ''Quabbin: A History and Explorer's Guide.'' Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts: On Cape Publications, 2002.
References
External links
★
Map showing the towns buried under Quabbin as they looked in 1903 with original house locations and current reservoir water level
★
Haunting The Quabbin, a WBUR documentary about the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir and the people who were displaced.
★
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation,
Quabbin Reservoir, accessed on 2005-10-20
★
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority,
Water System History, accessed on 2005-10-20
★
A History of the Development of the Metropolitan District Commission Water Supply System
★
Court order and statement of facts about MWRA facilities, addresses conditions far from Quabbin source 1999-5-13
★
Technical Information on Winsor Dam
★
Information on the history of providing water for Greater Boston
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