The Ware River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 river in central
. It has two forks, its West Branch, which begins in
Hubbardston, Massachusetts
Hubbardston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town population was 4,328. It is situated 18 miles north of Worcester and 53 miles west of Boston; it is distinguished in Massachusetts by be ...
, and its East Branch, which begins in
Westminster, Massachusetts
Westminster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 8,213.
History
Westminster was first settled by Europeans in 1737, and was officially incorporated in 1759.
Westmin ...
. The Ware River flows southwest through the middle of the state, joins the
Quaboag River
The Quaboag River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in Massachusetts that heads at Quaboag Pond in Brookfield at an elevation of above sea level. ...
at
Three Rivers, Massachusetts, to form the
Chicopee River
The Chicopee River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, known for fast-moving water ...
on its way to the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
.
The Brigham Pond Dam, forming a pond of the same name, first impounds the West Branch of the Ware River in
Hubbardston. The East Branch of the River originates north of Bickford Pond in Westminster, near the adjoining town of Princeton. Much of Hubbardston lies within the Ware River watershed and feeds tributaries of the Ware and Millers rivers, the
Millers River
The Millers River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in northern Massachusetts, originating in Ashburnham and joining the Connecticut River just ...
running generally west, and the Ware River running generally southwest. The Ware River is part of the
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) is a public authority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that provides wholesale drinking water and sewage services to certain municipalities and industrial users in the state, primarily in th ...
drinking water system serving the greater
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area. There is also a
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
dam on the Ware River in Hubbardston and Barre. This dam was constructed by and is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Large sections of the Ware River Watershed are owned and/or maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation including 22,000 acres in the vicinity of the dam.
History
The river was named for early fish weirs (locally pronounced). In 1928 the building of a aqueduct connecting the Ware River to the
Wachusett Reservoir
The Wachusett Reservoir is the second largest body of water in the state of Massachusetts. It is located in central Massachusetts, northeast of Worcester. It is part of the water supply system for metropolitan Boston maintained by the Massachuset ...
commenced a major public works undertaking. The massive horseshoe-shaped conduit, known as the Wachusett-Coldbrook Tunnel, had to be blasted through solid rock at a depth of . The arrival in 1931 of the first water from the Ware River by way of this tunnel probably saved the
Wachusett Reservoir
The Wachusett Reservoir is the second largest body of water in the state of Massachusetts. It is located in central Massachusetts, northeast of Worcester. It is part of the water supply system for metropolitan Boston maintained by the Massachuset ...
from drying up, for a prolonged drought had reduced Wachusett’s water supply to less than 20 percent of capacity.
In 1933 the
Quabbin Aqueduct
The Quabbin Aqueduct carries water from the Quabbin Reservoir to the Wachusett Reservoir. It is part of the Eastern Massachusetts public water supply system, maintained by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority ( MWRA). At in length, it is ...
was completed, ready to transport water from the
Quabbin Reservoir
The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, to the east, and 40 other cities and towns in Greate ...
under construction. The
Swift River Diversion tunnel is in full use, bypassing water around the dam area.
Topography
The Ware River starts at an elevation of about above sea level, fed from the numerous small streams within its watershed, before ending at the village of
Three Rivers at an elevation of about . The river flows through many historic mill towns where its fall towards the sea provided power. One of the largest such towns is
Ware, Massachusetts, which shares its name. This river is part of the
Connecticut River Watershed.
Towns along the river
*
Barre
Barre or Barré may refer to:
* Barre (name) or Barré, a surname and given name
Places United States
* Barre, Massachusetts, a New England town
** Barre (CDP), Massachusetts, the central village in the town
* Barre, New York, a town
* Barre (c ...
(South Barre, Barre Plains)
*
Hardwick (
Gilbertville,
Old Furnace,
Wheelwright
A wheelwright is a craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright", (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker or shaper of wood) as in shipwright and arkw ...
)
*
Hubbardston
*
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
*
Ware
Ware may refer to:
People
* Ware (surname)
* William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian
Places Canada
*Fort Ware, British Columbia
United Kingdom
*Ware, Devon
*Ware, Hertfordshire
*Ware, Kent
United States
* Ware, Elmore County, Al ...
*
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
*
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...
*
Palmer
Palmer may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land
* Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Palmer (surname), including a list of people and ...
(
Three Rivers, Thorndike)
Significant structures
Barre Falls Dam
The
Barre Falls Dam
The Barre Falls Dam is located on the Ware River in Barre, Massachusetts, about 0.3 mile (0.48 km) below the junction of the river's east and west branches and 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Designed and construc ...
is located on the Ware River in
Hubbardston, Massachusetts
Hubbardston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town population was 4,328. It is situated 18 miles north of Worcester and 53 miles west of Boston; it is distinguished in Massachusetts by be ...
, about below the junction of the river's east and west branches and northwest of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
. Designed and constructed by the
, this dam substantially reduces flooding along the Ware, Chicopee, and Connecticut rivers. Construction of the project began in May 1956 with completion in July 1958 at a cost of $2 million.
The project consists of an earth fill dam with stone slope protection long and high. There are three dikes totaling in length, with a maximum elevation of . Cut in rock, the spillway comprises a concrete weir in length. The weir's crest elevation is lower than the top of the dam. There is no lake at the Barre Falls Dam. The flood storage area for the project, which is normally empty, stores floodwaters and covers about in the towns of Barre, Hubbardston, Rutland, and Oakham. The entire project, including all associated lands, covers . The Barre Falls Dam can store up to of water for flood control purposes. This is equivalent to of water covering its drainage area of .
The Barre Falls reservoir is located within the Upper Ware River Watershed. The
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...
(MDCR) manages and preserves the land for water quality protection. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) manages these water resources, which are part of the public water supply for the metropolitan
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area.
Ware River Diversion
The
Ware River Diversion
The Ware River Diversion is a dam on the Ware River. It is part of the Boston, Massachusetts public water supply system, maintained by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). It is located in Worcester County in the town of Barre, clo ...
facility feeds Ware River water into the
Quabbin Aqueduct
The Quabbin Aqueduct carries water from the Quabbin Reservoir to the Wachusett Reservoir. It is part of the Eastern Massachusetts public water supply system, maintained by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority ( MWRA). At in length, it is ...
. This is used to start a natural
siphon
A siphon (from grc, σίφων, síphōn, "pipe, tube", also spelled nonetymologically syphon) is any of a wide variety of devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes. In a narrower sense, the word refers particularly to a tube in a ...
so water can flow from the Quabbin to the
Wachusett Reservoir
The Wachusett Reservoir is the second largest body of water in the state of Massachusetts. It is located in central Massachusetts, northeast of Worcester. It is part of the water supply system for metropolitan Boston maintained by the Massachuset ...
, or from Wachusett Reservoir to the Quabbin Reservoir.
See also
*
List of rivers of Massachusetts
List of rivers of Massachusetts (U.S. state).
All Massachusetts rivers flow to the Atlantic Ocean. The list is arranged by drainage basin from north to south, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name, arranged travellin ...
References
*
*
Ware River near BarreWare River Web Cam near Barre PlainsWare River near Coldbrook
{{authority control
American Heritage Rivers
Rivers of Worcester County, Massachusetts
Tributaries of the Connecticut River
Princeton, Massachusetts
Ware, Massachusetts
Rivers of Massachusetts