Home Posts tagged Quabbin Reservoir

Engineering to Wildlife, Quabbin Reservoir Has It All

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Tourism & Hospitality

The Quabbin Reservoir is the main drinking water supply for more than 3 million people in the Commonwealth.

It is also an engineering marvel, home to wildlife ranging from eagles to mountain lions to porcupines, the site of dozens of hiking trails, and sits on the site of four small towns that were taken by the state, later disincorporated, and now covered by some 412 billion gallons of water more than 50 feet deep in places.

So there’s history, engineering, nature, recreation, fishing, and education into how this water supply was created and how it operates today. And all of that and more can be taken in with a visit to the reservoir and the Les and Terry Campbell Quabbin Visitor Center in Belchertown, said Maria Beiter-Tucker, Interpretive Services supervisor for the Quabbin.

She handles public programing and educational programming, and quite a bit falls into those two categories.

Starting with the visitor center, located on the first floor of the Quabbin Administration Building at 100 Windsor Dam Road in Belchertown. There, visitors can learn about the history of the Swift River Valley and those aforementioned towns — Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott — and also about why and how the reservoir was constructed and how it is managed today, she said.

There’s also a considerable amount of information about the wildlife that calls the Quabbin home, she said, adding that there are educational programs for visitors and groups, including many school field trips, as well as self-guided tours of the area.

These public programs include hikes of Quabbin Park and Quabbin Reservation, including hikes focused on various habitats. There’s also a hike to Dana Common, where some of the foundations to buildings in that community can still be seen.

Overall, there are dozens of hiking trails, including the Bald Mountain Hill Trail, the Goodnough Dike Vista Trail, the Old Stone Trail, and the Quabbin Park Cemetery tour, which takes visitors to the cemetery created for the relocation of graves from the Swift River Valley.

No dogs are allowed at the Quabbin to keep that drinking supply safe from contamination, but two-legged visitors are more than welcome, and, as mentioned earlier, there is much to see, learn, and experience at this regional gem.

The Quabbin Visitor Center is open every day except Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Learn more at www.mass.gov/locations/quabbin-reservoir.

—George O’Brien

Legislation to Compensate Quabbin Communities for Reservoir Water to Be Heard April 26

By
Daily News

BOSTON — The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will hold a hearing on “An Act Relative to the Quabbin Watershed and Regional Equity” (H.897/S.447), filed by state Sen. Jo Comerford and state Rep. Aaron Saunders, on Wednesday, April 26, beginning at 1 p.m.

Beginning around 1927, four towns (Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott) were disincorporated, evacuated, and then flooded to create one of the largest potable water sources in the U.S., known as the Quabbin Reservoir. Today, the Quabbin provides pristine drinking water to millions of people in Eastern Mass.

Under current law, the remaining communities surrounding the Quabbin (Belchertown, Hardwick, Pelham, New Salem, Petersham, Shutesbury, and Ware), which comprise the Quabbin watershed, receive minimal compensation for their efforts and sacrifice. These same communities do not have the ability to pull their own drinking water from the Quabbin.

The legislation seeks greater regional equity and provides for reasonable payments to Quabbin watershed communities for local municipal needs; water infrastructure, such as conduits, pipes, and hydrants; and nonprofit organizations providing health, welfare, safety, and transit services. The bill also requires more representation of Connecticut River Valley interests on a governing board.

The hearing will be held in person in Massachusetts State House Hearing Room A-2 and also livestreamed on the Legislature’s website; click here for the virtual link.

Members of the public who wish to provide oral testimony on April 26 should fill out a form by clicking here. Members of the public are also welcome to email written testimony to the committee at [email protected].