Reservoir & Watershed Winsor Dam Spillway Goodnough Dike Water Supply
Costs Quabbin Park Historical Forestry Wildlife


Reservoir and Watershed

Reservoir length18 miles
Reservoir depth (max)151 feet
Reservoir depth (avg)45 feet
Shoreline (without islands)118 miles
Island shoreline63 miles
Reservoir capacity412 billion gallons
Reservoir surface area25,000 acres
Top one inch when full750 million gallons
Area of watershed120,000 acres
Area of Prescott Peninsula12,300 acres
Area of islands3,500 acres
Highest watershed elevation (Prospect Hill, Phillipston)1,383 feet
Reservoir elevation when full, Boston City base (BCB)530 feet
Towns in watershedAthol, Barre, Belchertown, Hardwick, New Salem, Orange, Pelham, Petersham, Phillipston, Shutesbury, Ware, Wendell
Swift River release (legal requirement)20 million gallons/day
Average annual precipitation44 inches
Average precipitation yield to reservoir50%
Average reservoir gain from 1 inch precipitation 1.6 billion gallons


Winsor Dam

Built1935-1939
Length2,640 feet
Maximum height above bedrock295 feet
Height above Swift River170 feet
Fill used4 million cubic yards
Width at top / bottom35 feet / 724 feet
Number of caissons40


Winsor Dam Spillway

Length400 feet
Height4-15 feet
Width7-12 feet
Height above riverbed155 feet


Goodnough Dike

Built1933-38
Length2,140 feet
Width top / bottom35 feet / 878 feet
Height above bedrock264 feet
Height above Beaver Brook135 feet
Fill used2.5 million cubic yards
Number of caissons31


Water Supply

Lowest safe level -40' (38% capacity)
Lowest historic level (3/5/67)-34.3' (45% capacity)
Highest historic level (6/1/84)+1.8' (103% capacity)
Number of years over spillway16
Daily safe yield (entire MDC system)300 million gallons
Population served

1946
1963
1990


1.5 million
2.1 million
2.2 million
Per capita use (includes industrial)

1950
1963
1980
1990


104 gallons/day
138 gallons/day
177 gallons/day
151 gallons/day


Costs

Acquisition of real estate$9.6 million
Construction of Winsor Dam$5.85 million
Construction of Goodnough Dike$2.9 million
Relocation work$1.39 million
Reforestation work$135,000
1936 Clearing Project$1.84 million
Quabbin Park Cemetery$266,000
Total Project Costs$53 million
Lives lost during construction26


Quabbin Park

Opened to publicJuly 1945
Administration Building built1938-39
Visitor Center opened1984
Size3,200 acres
Public roads12 miles
Trails22 miles
Quabbin Hill Lookout Tower

Built
Height
Elevation at base
States seen
Sight distance (Mt. Greylock)


1940-41
84 feet
1,033 feet
MA, NH, CT
62 miles
Quabbin Park Cemetery

Built
Remains transferred
Total grave sites (1990)
Size
Developed area


1931-32
6,601
7,971
82 acres
22 acres
Winsor Memorial

Dedicated
Rededicated


6/17/41
6/16/88


Historical

Date towns discontinuedApril 28, 1938
Number of structures removed1,100
Number of homes removed650
Population displaced2,500
Highways abandoned242 miles
Highways relocated36 miles
Railroad tracks removed31.5 miles
Number of cemeteries removed34
Grave sites removed7,613
Size of original taking80,443 acres
Average cost per acre$108


Forestry

Seedlings planted 1936-468.2 million
Number of native-tree species70+
Hardwood forest cover67%
Softwood forest cover33%
Forest cover types

Timber - 60-100+ years old
Poles - 40-60 years old
Seedling & sapling
Fields


66%
33%
<1%
<1%
Gravel roads in Quabbin Reservation250 miles
Annual seedling plantings40,000 trees


Wildlife

Bird species total / confirmed nesting250+ / 120+
First recorded Loon nesting1975
Bald Eagle

First recorded
Introduction Program
Number of birds released
First successful nest
Maximum recorded in a season
Cost of program


1948
1982-88
41
1989
42
$210,000
Mammal species50
Fish species27
First Coyote seen1971
Amphibian species19
Reptile species15