Wachusett Reservoir

42°22′10″N 71°44′18″W / 42.36944°N 71.73833°W / 42.36944; -71.73833TypeReservoirPrimary inflowsQuinapoxet River, Stillwater River, Quabbin AqueductPrimary outflowsWachusett Aqueduct, Cosgrove Tunnel, South Nashua RiverCatchment area108 sq mi (280 km²)Basin countriesUnited StatesMax. length7 mi (11 km)Max. width1.1 mi (1.8 km)Surface area7 sq mi (18 km²)Average depth48 ft (15 m)Max. depth120 ft (37 m)Water volume65,000,000,000 US gal (0.25 km³)Shore length¹21 mi (34 km)Surface elevation384 ft (117 m)^[1]SettlementsClinton, West Boylston, Boylston, Sterling¹ Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The Wachusett Reservoir is the second largest body of water in the state of Massachusetts. It is located in central Massachusetts, northeast of Worcester. It is part of the water supply system for metropolitan Boston maintained by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). It has an aggregate capacity of 65 billion US gallons (250,000,000 m³) and an area of almost 7 square miles (18 km²). Water from the reservoir flows to the covered Norumbega Storage Facility via the Cosgrove Tunnel and the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel. The reservoir has a maximum depth of 120 feet (37 m) and a mean depth of 48 feet (15 m).

The reservoir serves as both an intermediate storage reservoir for water from the Quabbin Reservoir, and a water source itself, fed by its own watershed. The reservoir is fed by the Quinapoxet and Stillwater rivers, along with the Quabbin Aqueduct, which carries water from the Quabbin Reservoir. It is part of the Nashua River watershed, forming the headwaters of the river. Because it is an intermediate storage reservoir, its water levels are kept relatively constant while the Quabbin Reservoir fluctuates based on precipitation and demand. At times when the Wachusett Reservoir becomes high due to its own watershed producing a large amount of runoff such as during snow melting, the flow from the Quabbin is shut off and water from the Ware River flows backwards down the Quabbin Aqueduct into the Quabbin Reservoir for storage.

History

In 1897, the Nashua River above the town of Clinton was impounded by the Wachusett Dam;^[2] 4,380 acres (17.7 km²) were flooded in the towns of Boylston, West Boylston, Clinton, and Sterling. Work was completed in 1905 and the reservoir first filled in May 1908 (116 years ago) (1908-05). Its water was originally delivered to the Sudbury Reservoir via the Wachusett Aqueduct, with the Cosgrove Tunnel (completed in 1965) providing redundancy. Interconnections at the Sudbury Reservoir eventually delivered the water to the Weston Reservoir via the Weston Aqueduct; these downstream facilities were relegated to backup roles in the late 20th and early 21st century by the construction of the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel and covered storage facilities.

West Boylston's prominent landmark—the Old Stone Church—was left remaining as a reminder of those who lost their homes and jobs to the building of the reservoir. It is one of the most photographed sites in the area.

When it was built, the Wachusett Reservoir was the largest public water supply reservoir in the world and the largest body of water in Massachusetts. It has since been surpassed by the Quabbin Reservoir (see that article for a history of reservoir building in Massachusetts).

Recreation and fishing

Because the reservoir is the water supply for Boston, not all areas around it are open to the public. Regulations designed to ensure pure water include the prohibition of boats, ice fishing, wading, swimming, overnight camping, alcoholic beverages, littering, animals, bikes, and motor vehicles from the reservoir and abutting property.^[3] These regulations are controversial to recreation and fishing proponents, who argue the rules are not needed to protect water quality. A network of fire roads provides easy access for hikers and cross-country skiers.

In 1999, the reservoir contained twelve native and twelve introduced species of fish. The limited access, combined with abundant, high-quality habitat, produced state records for brown trout, land-locked salmon, smallmouth bass, and white perch. The Wachusett Reservoir is one of only two locations in Massachusetts to support lake trout, a North American native trout species which has been known to reach 20 plus pounds in Reservoir. In addition stocked rainbow trout are known to "holdover" (live through multiple summers) in Wachusett. Rainbow smelt are also present although their numbers are greatly reduced when compared to many years ago. Lake trout are a major draw to fishermen and women.

Approximately 80% of the 37-mile (60 km) shoreline is usually open to angling from April 1 through November 30, depending on ice conditions.

Image gallery

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  Metropolitan Water District map, 1910
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  Old Stone Church on the reservoir, viewed from the Stillwater River
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  Wachusett Reservoir at sunrise
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  Reservoir from Route 70
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References

Further reading

• McCarthy Earls, Eamon. Wachusett: How Boston's 19th Century Quest for Water Changed Four Towns and a Way of Life. Franklin, Massachusetts: Via Appia Press (www.viaappiapress.com), 2010. ISBN 978-0-9825485-1-6

External links

Tributaries

Massachusetts

Artichoke River Assabet River Back River Beaver Brook Cochichewick River Concord River Little River Merrimack River Nashua River Nissitissit River North Nashua River Phillips Brook Powwow River Quinapoxet River Salmon Brook Shawsheen River South Branch Souhegan River South Nashua River Spicket River Squannacook River Stillwater River Stony Brook Sudbury River Trout Brook Vine Brook Whitman River

New Hampshire

Baboosic Brook Back River Baker River Bear Brook Beards Brook Beaver Brook Beebe River Big River Black Brook Blackwater River Cockermouth River Cohas Brook Contoocook River East Branch Baker River East Branch Pemigewasset River Fowler River Frazier Brook Gridley River Gunstock River Lane River Little River (Big River) Little River (Merrimack River) Little Massabesic Brook-Sucker Brook Little Suncook River Lost River Mad River Melvin River Merrimack River Merrymeeting River Middle Branch Piscataquog River Moosilauke Brook Nashua River Newfound River Nissitissit River North Branch Contoocook River North Fork East Branch Pemigewasset River Nubanusit Brook Pemigewasset River Pennichuck Brook Piscataquog River Powwow River Purgatory Brook Red Hill River Salmon Brook Shedd Brook Smith River Soucook River Souhegan River South Branch Baker River South Branch Piscataquog River South Branch Souhegan River Spicket River Squam River Stony Brook Suncook River Tioga River Turkey River Warner River West Branch Mad River West Branch Souhegan River West Branch Warner River Winnipesaukee River

Lakes

Massachusetts

Lake Attitash Lake Boon Lake Cochichewick Lake Cochituate Fairhaven Bay Haggetts Pond Lost Lake Lake Saltonstall Tuxbury Pond Wachusett Reservoir Walden Pond

New Hampshire

Arlington Mill Reservoir Ayers Island Reservoir Baboosic Lake Canobie Lake Cobbetts Pond Contoocook Lake Country Pond Crystal Lake (Gilmanton) Crystal Lake (Manchester) Deering Reservoir Franklin Pierce Lake Great Pond Halfmoon Lake Harrisville Pond Highland Lake Hopkins Pond (Adder Pond) Island Pond (Derry) Island Pond (Stoddard) Jenness Pond Lake Kanasatka Little Squam Lake Locke Lake Lonesome Lake Massabesic Lake Lake Massasecum Merrymeeting Lake Mirror Lake Newfound Lake Northwood Lake Nubanusit Lake Opechee Bay Paugus Bay Pemigewasset Lake Penacook Lake Pleasant Lake (Deerfield) Pleasant Lake (New London) Potanipo Pond Powder Mill Pond Powwow Pond Profile Lake Sebbins Pond Silver Lake (Hollis) Skatutakee Lake Lake Solitude Squam Lake Stinson Lake Suncook Lakes Sunset Lake Thorndike Pond Turkey Ponds Tuxbury Pond Lake Waukewan Weare Reservoir Webster Lake Lake Wentworth White Oak Pond Lake Wicwas Willard Pond Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnisquam

Towns

Massachusetts

Acton Amesbury Andover Ashland Bedford Billerica Burlington Chelmsford Clinton Concord Dracut Fitchburg Framingham Groton Groveland Haverhill Hopkinton Hudson Lawrence Leominster Lexington Lowell Lunenburg Marlborough Maynard Merrimac Methuen Newburyport North Andover Northborough Pepperell Salisbury Sudbury Tewksbury Tyngsborough West Newbury Westborough Westford

New Hampshire

Allenstown Amherst Ashland Atkinson Bedford Belmont Boscawen Bow Bridgewater Bristol Campton Canterbury Concord Derry Franklin Gilford Goffstown Hampstead Hill Hillsborough Holderness Hollis Hooksett Hopkinton Hudson Kingston Laconia Lincoln Litchfield Londonderry Manchester Meredith Merrimack Milford Nashua New Hampton Northfield Pelham Pembroke Penacook Peterborough Plaistow Plymouth Salem Sanbornton Suncook Thornton Tilton Weare Windham Wolfeboro Woodstock

Landmarks