Quabbin Reservoir and its 56,000 acres of protected watershed, managed by the MDC's Division of Watershed Management, are the backbone to Boston's water. It has a 412 billion gallon capacity and is six times the size of the Wachusetts Reservoir. One inch of rain landing in the watershed creates 1.6 billion gallons of water. It also contains the Quabbin Aqueduct, that is 800 feet beneath the ground
Quabbin Reservoir
Reservoirs in Our Area
The Wachusetts Reservoir holds about 65 billion gallons of water. It was built in the 19th century by damming the South Branch of the Nashua river and was at one point the largest surface water reservoir constructed in the world. However, with Boston expanding, a new addition was needed to keep up with the water demand It now receives some of its water from Quabbin Reservoir and still supplies the Boston area.
Wachusetts Reservoir
Ware River Watershed
Located between the Quabbin Reservoir and the Wachusett Reservoir, the Ware River is approximately 23,000 acres. The Ware River watershed is the land and water which drain to the MWRA diversion facility on the Ware River in Barre. The water that enters the intake travels to either the Quabbin or Wachusett Reservoir through an underground tunnel, the Quabbin aqueduct.