Quabbin Reservoir
Quabbin Reservoir | ||
---|---|---|
Primary inflows Swift River | | |
Primary outflows | Swift River | |
Basin countries | United States | |
Max. length | 18 miles (28.9 km) | |
Surface area | 38.6 mi2 (99.97 km2) | |
Average depth | 51 ft (16 m) | |
Max. depth | 151 ft (46 m) | |
Water volume | 412,000,000,000 US gal (1.56 km3) | |
Shore length1 | 181 mi (291 km) | |
Surface elevation | 522 ft (159 m) | |
Settlements | Belchertown, Petersham, Hardwick, Ware, New Salem, Shutesbury, Pelham[1] | |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, 65 miles (105 km) to the east, and 40 other cities and towns in Greater Boston. The Quabbin also supplies water to three towns west of the reservoir and acts as backup supply for three others.[2] By 1989, it supplied water for 2.5 million people, about 40% of the state's population at the time.[1] It has an aggregate capacity of 412 billion US gallons (1,560 GL) and an area of 38.6 square miles (99.9 km2).
Structures and water flow
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2019) |
Quabbin Reservoir water flows to the Wachusett Reservoir through the
The Quabbin Spillway, which follows part of Quabbin Hill Road in Belchertown, allows water to bypass the Winsor Dam and join the Swift River when the reservoir is full.
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. The present Lake Cochituate is the so-called Framingham Reservoir and now serves as a major swimming and boating resource but is no longer part of the potable water supply.
History
Demand for water exceeds local supplies
Metropolitan Boston's demands for fresh water began to outstrip its local supplies in the early part of the nineteenth century. Many possible sources of water were explored, including groundwater and rivers, but none were considered adequate in quantity and cleanliness to meet the needs of the rapidly growing city. In 1848, after several years of controversy, the Massachusetts General Court (the official name of the state legislature) authorized the construction of the Cochituate Aqueduct to bring water to Boston from Lake Cochituate in Wayland and Natick.[3]
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.
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, which was completed in 1878.[3]
In 1893, 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
The General Court acted to establish the Metropolitan Water District, including 26 communities within ten miles (16 km) of the
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.[4] He had previously been chief engineer for the building of the Scituate Reservoir in Rhode Island.
A 1922 study officially endorsed the
Opposition
Although the project was enthusiastically supported by lawmakers in the Boston area, it was opposed by residents of the affected towns. The state of
Reservoir formed
Before the reservoir's construction, there was a hill in Enfield called Quabbin Hill and a lake in Greenwich called Quabbin Lake. These were from the
In 1941, the land that would become the Prescott Peninsula became the Quabbin Reservoir Precision Bombing and Gunnery Range.
Towns disincorporated
The Quabbin's creation required the flooding, and thus the disincorporation, in April 1938, of four towns: Dana (located in Worcester County), Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott (all located in Hampshire County). The land remaining from the disincorporated towns was added to surrounding municipalities, including Belchertown, Pelham, New Salem, Petersham, Hardwick and Ware. One additional town on the reservoir is Shutesbury, in Franklin County. Because of New Salem's annexation of the Prescott Peninsula, a large wedge of land shifted from Hampshire County to Franklin County. Today, the majority of the reservoir lies in either New Salem or Petersham.
Of the land used to make the dam, about 60,000 acres were purchased and the rest was seized by eminent domain in 1938. The town of Dana voted to voluntarily give up their land to the project. Around 2,500 residents lost their homes as part of the flooding.[3]
In addition, thirty-six miles of the
The buildings in the towns flooded by the reservoir were removed. Some cellar holes were left intact while others, chiefly in Prescott and below the flow line, were filled in. Old roads that once led to the flooded towns can be followed to the water's edge. Not all elements of the towns were destroyed, however. Town memorials and cemeteries in the four towns were moved to Quabbin Park Cemetery, located on
Three student housing facilities at Hampshire College in Amherst are named after the discontinued towns of Greenwich, Prescott, and Enfield. In addition, Hampshire College named another facility on its campus Dana House, after the other discontinued town of Dana.
Four residence halls at the nearby Eagle Hill School are also named for the four towns: Greenwich, Prescott, Dana, and Enfield.
Watershed public access and recreation
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2019) |
To protect the water supply from the threats from unrestricted motorized vehicle use, most areas around the reservoir are publicly accessible only by foot, with limited parking available at some of the surrounding gates.
Large portions of Dana are on higher ground, and its remains, predominantly cellar holes, as well as the former town center (where a historic stone marker was placed) can be visited.
Much of Prescott is above water on what is now known as the Prescott Peninsula. However, Prescott cannot be visited most of the year due to 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 former Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, once operated by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
There is a visitor center south of the reservoir, as well as an observation tower, and Enfield Lookout. This area—called Quabbin Park—is accessible by car from the south using State
Fishing is allowed in designated areas in the northern portions of the reservoir. Three boat launch areas are available, and to prevent spread of aquatic invasive species private boats must be cleaned before being permitted on the Reservoir. DCR provides a number of rental boats as well. Current Massachusetts state record lake trout (25 lb 7 oz) and walleye (11 lb 0 oz) were caught in the Quabbin.[8]
More complete information regarding access rules and maps of Quabbin can be found on DCR's official public access website.
Natural resources and forest management
This large block of forested land supports a great diversity of wildlife, and has been the focus for the re-establishment of several species in Massachusetts. Bald eagles, loons, moose, deer, coyotes, black bears, foxes, and bobcats share the habitat, among others. A proposed plan to establish a colony of endangered timber rattlesnakes to Mount Zion Island on the Quabbin was suspended indefinitely in 2017 after public opposition.[9]
DWSP's Watershed Forestry page provides general information regarding the application of forest management at Quabbin and other drinking water supply watersheds.
Popular culture
- H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Colour Out of Space" is set in the valley before it was flooded for the reservoir.[10] His fictional town of Dunwich in "The Dunwich Horror", written in 1928, is partially based on the town of Greenwich (before reservoir plans were made).[11]
- William Weld's novel Stillwater is set in the valley while the reservoir is under construction.
- Both the film Dreamcatcher and the Stephen King novel upon which it was based have scenes set at the Quabbin Reservoir.
- In Jane Langton's mystery novel, Emily Dickinson is Dead, the drowned villages and the reservoir have a dark role to play.
- Jane Yolen's picture book, Letting Swift River Go, is about the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir from the perspective of a young girl who grew up in the valley.
- During his 2020 Massachusetts Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Senate, former U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III accused his rival, Sen. Ed Markey, of ignoring the towns of Dana, Prescott, and Enfield, which were disincorporated more than eighty years earlier.[12]
- manta raysliving within the freshwater reservoir.
- Heather Graham Pozzessere's book Dark Rites, from her Krewe of Hunters series, takes place largely around the reservoir.
- Derek B. Miller's book How to Find Your Way in the Dark, includes mention of the flooding that eliminated the drowned villages.
- In the film Mother/Android, the Quabbin Reservoir is mentioned several times as the characters navigate through a post-apocalyptic Massachusetts.
- Western Massachusetts band Rapture of the Deep released an EP titled "Under Quabbin" in 1986. The album cover features a historical photo of a house in the town of Enfield. The lyrics of the first track, "Madame Nothing," include references to the creation of the reservoir and individuals who lived in the "drowned towns."[13]
See also
- Nichewaug, Massachusetts
- Quabbin Valley
References
- ^ a b Quabbin Reservoir: water quality and sediment data report, 1989. Westborough, MA: Division of Water Pollution Control, Technical Services Branch. 1990.
- ^ "MWRA Online". www.mwra.state.ma.us. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Quabbin facts & figures. Friends of Quabbin; Massachusetts. Metropolitan District Commission. Division of Watershed Management. 1991.
- ^ "Water for Greater Boston". www.bahistory.org. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Connecticut v. Massachusetts, 282 U.S. 660 (1931)". Justia Law. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- The Republican.
- ^ "The Collection | Mount Holyoke College". Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- ^ "Massachusetts freshwater fish records". State of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "'Rattlesnake Island' Plan In The Quabbin Reservoir Is On Hold". WBUR. April 19, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ Charles P. Mitchell, The Complete H. P. Lovecraft Filmography p.9 (2001).
- ^ "Lovecraft Studies #13v05n02 (1986 Fall) (CosmicJukebox)".
- ^ "Joe Kennedy III slams Ed Markey over towns lost to Quabbin Reservoir decades ago". Boston Herald. July 27, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- ^ "Rapture of the Deep - Under Quabbin". Discogs.com. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
Further reading
- Conuel, Thomas. Quabbin: The Accidental Wilderness. Amherst, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press, 1990. OCLC 07795937
- Kelkowski, Ed. Under Quabbin: The Search for the Lost Towns, A WGBY Production. 2001. DVD 974.423 OCLC 61519583
- Greene, J.R. "The Creation of Quabbin Reservoir; The Death of the Swift River Valley." The Transcript Press, 32 Freedom Street, Athol, MA 01331, 1981. OCLC 09778808
- Greene, J.R. "From valley to Quabbin 1938–1946." Athol Press, Athol MA 01331, 2010. OCLC 690195965
- Peirce, Elizabeth. "The lost towns of the Quabbin Valley." Arcadia, Charleston, S.C., 2003. OCLC 62490764
- Tougias, Michael. Quabbin: A History and Explorer's Guide. Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts: On Cape Publications, 2002. OCLC 50812740
External links
- Official website
- Quabbin Reservoir levels
- Haunting the Quabbin: Inside Out — WBUR-FM documentary about the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir
- Friends of Quabbin, Inc. — A non-profit organization devoted to increasing awareness of the Quabbin Reservoir; the website contains information on the reservoir and the surrounding reservation
- Map of the Proposed Quabbin Reservoir — A map showing the Swift River Valley as of 1922, before the construction of the reservoir (from the State Library of Massachusetts)
- Ecology of Quabbin Reservoir