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For several years, the Water Division has been recognized as a top notch provider, winning numerous awards for water quality and service. A 2.1 million gallon concrete water tank is the heart of the system which provides water to 9,800 people in two communities, with an average daily flow of 1.1 million gallons of water. The systems involves 74 miles of water main, more than 550 fire hydrants, and approximately 3,300 water services. The division maintains the storage tank, operates four booster pumping stations, provides corrosion control, disinfecting and testing the water
supply to meet high standards.
The Water System
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) supplies wholesale water to local water departments in fifty communities, fourty-four in greater Boston and MetroWest, three in Western Massachusetts, and as a back-up supply for three others. Each municipality is responsible for distributing the water within its own community. More than two million people are served by the MWRA water supply system.
Quabbin Reservoir is the primary source of water for our system and one of the country's largest water supply impoundments, with a capacity of 412 billion gallons. Quabbin water represents source water for the Chicopee Valley Acqueduct (CVA) system. Water is transferred from Quabbin Reservoir to the 65 billion gallon Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton via the Quabbin Acqueduct. Wachusett water represents source water for MetroWest and Metropolitan Boston communities. The watershed areas of the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs total 401 square miles. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which manages the watersheds, and MWRA are committed to protection of the water supply through aggressive watershed protection as the first line of defense against water contamination. Three-quarters of the watersheds are protected lands and over
80% are either forest or wetlands.
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