The Ware River Diversion is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

on the

Ware River The Ware River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Massachusetts. It has two forks, its West Branch, which begins in Hubbardston, Massa ...

. It is part of the Boston, Massachusetts public water supply system, maintained by 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 ...

(MWRA). It is located in Worcester County in the town of

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 (ci ...

, close to its border with

Oakham Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...

Structures and purpose

Water flows 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 ...

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 ...

using natural siphon action, through a tunnel called 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 aqueduct is one of the longest in the world. The high point for the tunnel route is at the

in South

Barre, Massachusetts Barre ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,530 at the 2020 census. History Originally called the Northwest District of Rutland, it was first settled by Europeans in 1720. The town was incorpora ...

, near State Route 122 and Coldbrook Road. At this point, a facility called the Ware River Diversion exists to control the

. This facility, consisting of a dam and hydraulic control systems, diverts the water from the

into the aqueduct to either start a natural siphon or to store excess Ware River water in the

. The Ware River Diversion is part of the

Chicopee River Watershed 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 wate ...

. On June 15, 1987, the Ware River Intake, which is where the water goes into the diversion, was re-dedicated and named the Roger H. Lonergan Intake.

How it works

If the aqueduct route from the Ware River Diversion to the

is closed (the Wachusett-Coldbrook branch) and water diversion occurs, water flows from the Ware River, back down grade to the

for storage. This is typically done when the Wachusett Reservoir water level is increasing due to run-off from its own watershed. If the aqueduct route from the Ware River Diversion to the

is open, diversion of water from the

water into both the Wachusett and the Quabbin Reservoir routes will start the siphon. Once the siphon starts, water from the Ware River Diversion stops and the water flows from the Quabbin to the Wachusett Reservoirs continue naturally.

References

MWRA Wachusett Reservoir History

Mass Central Rail Trail. Rails To Trails conversion on the Central Mass line, which was rerouted during dam construction

{{coord, 42.3904, -72.0602, region:US_type:landmark, display=title Dams in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Worcester County, Massachusetts