What towns were flooded for Quabbin Reservoir?

Asked by: Kathy Morales

The four lost towns of the Quabbin Reservoir — Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott — are not your typical “ghost towns.” You won’t find dusty streets, old saloons and blowing tumbleweeds here. After all, these ghost towns are underwater. They teem with life, but not the human life that they once supported.

How many towns were flooded for Quabbin Reservoir?

four

The Quabbin Reservoir is one of the most important water sources in the state, and a beautiful place to spend a sunny afternoon. However, the history of its construction is a much darker tale than you might expect. In order to build this massive reservoir, not one, but four thriving towns were drowned.

Why did they flood Quabbin Reservoir?

The small towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott are lost under the Quabbin Reservoir. As the city of Boston grew in the early 1800’s they quickly ran into an increasing water shortage, so plans were put in place to flood the valley that would become the Quabbin Reservoir.

When was Quabbin flooded?

April 28, 1938

The passing of this legislation ordered the disincorporation of the towns of Enfield, Prescott, Greenwich, and Dana. As the area designated for the new Quabbin Reservoir, the four towns were to be completely flooded. At midnight on April 28, 1938, each town was lawfully dissolved.

How many years did it actually take to fill the Quabbin Reservoir after the Winsor Dam was built in 1939?

When construction was completed in 1939 and the Swift and Ware rivers were allowed to flow into the new basin, it took seven years to fill the Quabbin Reservoir to capacity. Since that time, it has provided the primary water source for Boston and has been heralded as a civic engineering marvel.

Is there a town under Quabbin Reservoir?

The small towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott are lost under the Quabbin Reservoir. As the city of Boston grew in the early 1800’s they quickly ran into an increasing water shortage, so plans were put in place to flood the valley that would become the Quabbin Reservoir.

Are there rattlesnakes in Quabbin Reservoir?

A controversial plan to establish a colony of endangered timber rattlesnakes on an island in the Quabbin Reservoir is now on hold. According to western Massachusetts state Sen. Eric Lesser, the state Fisheries and Wildlife Board voted Wednesday to indefinitely suspend the plan.

What does the word Quabbin mean?

place of many waters

The word Quabbin, formerly the name of a lake in Greenwich, comes from the name of a local, likely Nipmuc American Indian chief, Nani-Quaben, which means place of many waters or possibly well-watered place.

Where is the town of Dana?

Dana was a town located in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Dana was lost as a result of the formation of the Quabbin Reservoir.

Can you scuba dive in the Quabbin Reservoir?

Correct, there is no diving in the Quabbin due its status as a public water supply.

Can you camp at the Quabbin?

A beautiful, spring-through-fall family campground secluded in a pine forest, with over 100 fully-equipped and tenting sites. Swimming pool, playground, convenience store, and laundry on-site.

How many communities in Massachusetts get their drinking water from the Quabbin Reservoir?

Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) jointly manage the Metropolitan Boston Water System. The MWRA provides treatment and distribution of drinking water to 48 communities in the metropolitan area, including Boston.

Who built Quabbin Reservoir?

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.

How long did it take to fill the Quabbin Reservoir?

seven years

It took seven years for the reservoir to fill, but the metropolis began drawing water in 1941 and still does to this day.

Is Quabbin full?

RESERVOIR LEVELS: The Quabbin Reservoir, the largest water supply source for 47 communities in the Metro Boston area, is currently at 100.1% of its 412 billion-gallon maximum capacity. The 65 billion-gallon Wachusett Reservoir is 88.8% full.

What happened to Greenwich Massachusetts?

Greenwich (/ˈɡriːnwɪtʃ/) was a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The town was lost as a result of the formation of the Quabbin Reservoir in order to supply Boston’s growing water needs.

Is there a town under Wachusett Reservoir?

The reservoir is fed by the Quinapoxet and Stillwater rivers, along with the Quabbin Aqueduct, which carries water from the Quabbin Reservoir.

Was Massachusetts underwater?

Massachusetts extended much further into the Atlantic Ocean that it does today; the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard were part of the mainland, Cape Cod was merely a feature of the terrain, and Wamsutta was well inland.” (Massachusetts Archaeological Society 54-55.)