Quabbin Reservoir

Quabbin Reservoir water flows to the Wachusett Reservoir through the Quabbin Aqueduct. The Quabbin watershed is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, while 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, which in turn feeds the Connecticut River. 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. He had previously been chief engineer for the building of the Scituate Reservoir in Rhode Island. 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, the Ware River Act was passed, starting construction on the first stage of the project, a 12-mile long tunnel connecting Wachusett Reservoir with the Ware River. Specifically, the Swift River needed to maintain a 20 million gallon per day flow downriver from the dam. Towns disincorporated The Quabbin's creation required the flooding, and thus the disincorporation, of four towns in April 1938: 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. In addition, thirty-six miles of the Boston and Albany Railroad's Athol Branch, the so-called "Rabbit Line", were abandoned (originally the Springfield, Athol and Northeastern Railroad). The North Prescott Methodist Episcopal Church was moved to Orange in 1949, and then to New Salem in 1985 where it forms part of the building complex of the Swift River Valley Historical Society. The former Town Hall of Prescott now sits off of Route 32 in Petersham. 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==

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 Route 9. The Park 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. 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. 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. ==Popular culture==

• H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Colour Out of Space" is set in the valley before it was flooded for the reservoir. 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). • William Weld's novel Stillwater is set in the valley while the reservoir is under construction. Weld relocates the already fictional Massachusetts town of Ripton, MA from the Berkshires to the Quabbin as a fifth flooded town. • 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. • The Puma Blues, a black and white comic book series by Stephen Murphy and Michael Zulli, takes place in an alternate early 21st century and involves a colony of flying manta rays living 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. ==See also==