MWRA's water comes from the Quabbin
Quabbin Reservoir
The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Today, along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, some 65 miles to the east as well as 40 other communities in Greater Boston. It also supplies …
What does Quabbin mean in English?
The word Quabbin, formerly the name of a lake in Greenwich, comes from the name of a local, likely Nipmuc American Indian chief, Nani-Quaben, which means place of many waters or possibly well-watered place.
Where is water treated after leaving the reservoir on its way to Wilbraham?
Quabbin Water Treatment PlantDrinking water for three Chicopee Valley communities (Chicopee, Wilbraham and South Hadley Fire District #1) comes from the pristine Quabbin Reservoir. After leaving the reservoir, the raw water is treated at the Quabbin Water Treatment Plant, then stored at the Nash Hill storage tank in Ludlow.
Where is the Quabbin Reservoir located?
MassachusettsQuabbin ReservoirQuabbin Reservoir Show map of Massachusetts Show map of the United States Show allLocationMassachusetts, USCoordinates42°21′33″N 72°18′00″WCoordinates: 42°21′33″N 72°18′00″WLake typeReservoir15 more rows
Is the Quabbin Reservoir clean?
Also, to ensure safety, the streams and the reservoirs are tested often and patrolled daily by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Because they are well-protected, the water in the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs is considered to be of very high quality.
Can you swim in the Quabbin Reservoir?
Some activities, such as hiking, picnicking, birdwatching and shore and boat fishing are allowed. However, other user groups would like to recreate at the Quabbin, but cannot because of use restrictions. For example, swimming, off-road bicycling, canoeing, sailing and cross-country skiing are all prohibited.
Where does the water from the Wachusett Reservoir go?
Water from the reservoir flows to the covered Norumbega Storage Facility via the Cosgrove Tunnel and the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel.
Can you drive around the Quabbin Reservoir?
Linking the historic towns of Orange and Paxton, the Route 122 Scenic Byway passes to the north of the Quabbin Reservoir along 40 miles of back roads for a quiet drive through pristine lands.
Is Quabbin Reservoir open to the public?
Visitor Center - Open Thursday to Tuesday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Wednesday. Boat rentals - Boat rentals are available during the 2021 fishing season.
Is there a town under Quabbin Reservoir?
The small towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott are lost under the Quabbin Reservoir. As the city of Boston grew in the early 1800's they quickly ran into an increasing water shortage, so plans were put in place to flood the valley that would become the Quabbin Reservoir.
Are there rattlesnakes in Quabbin Reservoir?
A controversial plan to establish a colony of endangered timber rattlesnakes on an island in the Quabbin Reservoir is now on hold. According to western Massachusetts state Sen. Eric Lesser, the state Fisheries and Wildlife Board voted Wednesday to indefinitely suspend the plan.Apr 19, 2017
Can you camp at the Quabbin?
Numerous trails, one to an overlook of Quabbin Reservoir, plus primitive camping.
Is Quabbin Reservoir full?
RESERVOIR LEVELS: The Quabbin Reservoir, the largest water supply source for 47 communities in the Metro Boston area, is currently at 99.2% of its 412 billion-gallon maximum capacity. The 65 billion-gallon Wachusett Reservoir is 90.9% full....ArlingtonNewtonNahantSouth Hadley Fire District #114 more rows•Apr 1, 2022
How big is Quabbin reservoir?
Quabbin Reservoir, with a 412 billion gallon capacity, is six times the size of Wachusett and is encom- passed by a 120,000 acre water- shed.
What is the Quabbin interflow?
The Quabbin Interflow When warm sun and thoughts of wearing your shorts and flip flops arrive each year, the surface water in the Wachusett Reservoir has begun to warm. This increase in temperature at the surface of the Wachusett Reservoir and other local water bodies starts an annual process called stratification.
How many gallons of water does the Wachusett reservoir hold?
The Wachusett Reservoir holds 65 billion gallons of water. When it was built at the end of the 19th cen- tury it was the largest surface water reservoir constructed in the world. It was not, however, big enough to quench Boston’s growing 20th century thirst, so in the 1930s the Quabbin Reservoir and Aqueduct were built.
When was the MWRA created?
Resources Authority (MWRA) were developed in 1991. At that time, two separate plans were written, one for Quabbin Reservoir and Ware River, the other for Wachusett Reservoir, as the debate over the necessity of building . Reservoir Quabbin Wachusett.
When was the Boston Water Tunnel opened?
MWRA opened the tunnel in November 2003, enhancing the security, capacity and reliability of the entire metropolitan Boston water transmission system. Prior to its construction, MWRA relied on a single 1940s-era surface aqueduct, the Hultman Aqueduct, to serve the region.
When was the Watershed Protection Plan developed?
A Watershed Protection Plan was also developed in 1997 for the emergency supply to this system, the Sudbury and Foss Reser- voirs, but it was not quite as thorough as those written for the active water supplies. Watershed Protection Plan Update. Less is More By Joel Zimmerman, DCR/DWSP Regional Planner.
When was the Quabbin reservoir completed?
Completed in 1939 , the Quabbin Reservoir has a capacity of 412 billion gallons, making it the largest man-made water supply reservoir in the world. To this day, the Quabbin still serves as the major source of water for metropolitan Boston.
How high is Quabbin reservoir?
The Quabbin Reservoir, located 65 miles west of Boston, has an elevation of approximately 530 feet above the mean elevation of the City. This elevation differential creates a natural gravitational flow through most of the MWRA's waterworks system and thereby eliminates the need to pump water to BWSC's system.
When was the Wachusett Dam completed?
In 1908, the Wachusett Dam, Reservoir and Aqueduct were completed. In 1919, to oversee the complex water system (and storm/sewer system), the Massachusetts Legislature created the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), now the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The MDC developed a large-scale plan for expanding the water supply ...
What was the purpose of the Metropolitan Water District in 1895?
In response to this, in 1895, the City formed the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), which was to identify additional water sources for the City.
What did the early settlers use for water?
The Early Settlers. Boston's early settlers relied on cisterns, wells, and a spring on Boston Common for their water . However, as the city grew, this supply was inadequate and the quality often poor. The first attempt to provide an alternative came from private suppliers who, in 1796, began delivering water from Jamaica Pond through a system ...
Who manages the Boston water system?
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) jointly manage the Metropolitan Boston Water System. The MWRA provides treatment and distribution of drinking water to 48 communities in the metropolitan area, including Boston. The DCR manages the lands adjacent to ...
Where did Boston get its water?
In 1848, the City obtained its first municipal water supply from Long Pond, now called Lake Cochituate, which is about 19 miles west of Boston. The water traveled via the Cochituate Aqueduct into the Brookline Reservoir. At the time, Boston's population was about 127,000 and in the period between 1860 to 1900, the population tripled to 550,000.
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