Quinapoxet River
Quinapoxet River | |
---|---|
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Princeton, Massachusetts |
• coordinates | 42°23′46″N 71°52′59″W / 42.396°N 71.883°W |
• elevation | 802 ft (244 m) |
Mouth | |
• location | Wachusett Reservoir |
• coordinates | 42°23′06″N 71°47′49″W / 42.385°N 71.797°W |
• elevation | 384 ft (117 m) |
Length | 7.9 miles (12.7 km) |
Basin size | 57 sq mi (150 km2) |
Discharge | |
• average | 88 cu ft/s (2.5 m3/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Trout Brook |
The Quinapoxet River is part of the Nashua River watershed in northern Massachusetts in the United States. It is part of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority water system supplying drinking water to the greater Boston area.
The river's name derives from the Nipmuc language, meaning "at the place of the little long pond" or "the long swamp."[1][2][3]
The uppermost tributaries of the Quinapoxet River rise in the town of Princeton, Massachusetts, the watershed generally known as the Upper Worcester Plateau, or the Monadnock Upland. This watershed tops at Wachusett Mountain, the highest feature in the area. Water flowing east from this high ground feeds the Nashua River watershed, and water flowing west feeds the Ware River or the Millers River watersheds, heading to the Connecticut River.
The Quinapoxet Dam in
The Quinapoxet and Stillwater rivers are the two major tributaries to the Wachusett Reservoir, which serves as the primary source of water for 2.5 million consumers in 43 communities of central and eastern Massachusetts. The
About 35% of the Quinapoxet sub-basin is protected open space (Worcester reservoirs' surface water included). The City of Worcester owns the land that immediately surrounds each of its reservoirs and approximately 25% of its entire water supply watershed. It is a highly protected forest with no public access. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (
The lower Quinapoxet rates on alert for biology, chemistry and hydrology. Chaffins Brook is considered a "moderately septic polluted stream", and its lower reach has noxious aquatic plants in an impoundment.
-
The headwaters of the Quinapoxet River
See also
References
- ISBN 9780786416547– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9780786493395– via Google Books.
- ^ "NIAC Publications ~ Nipmuc Place Names - Maine & Massachusetts". www.nativetech.org.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 3, 2011
- ^ "Quinapoxet Dam Removal Project Announcement". MWRA. Retrieved 18 February 2022.