Watershed Protection
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

A watershed is the total area that drains directly across the land and indirectly through the groundwater, to a particular stream, river, pond or reservoir. Precipitation that falls anywhere in the watershed of a given reservoir or stream will eventually end up in that body of water.

We protect watersheds because all activities within them have impacts - some small, some great - on their water quality.

A HISTORY OF PROTECTED SOURCE WATERS

The best way to deliver clean, safe water is to start with high quality source water. Since the 1870s, planners have sought relatively pristine and protected water sources for metropolitan Boston, ones that would require minimal water treatment. Historically, ever larger and more distant reservoirs have been secured in central and western Massachusetts to supply both the quantity and the quality of water needed. As a result, MWRA inherited in 1985 a water system whose sources - Wachusett, Quabbin and the Ware River - are the least polluted available and require a minimal level of treatment - disinfection and corrosion control.

MWRA/Department of Conservation and Recreation Watershed Protection efforts continue this heritage by assuring that the quality of the source water is as high as it can be.

PROTECTING BACKUP SUPPLIES

In addition to its source reservoirs, MWRA maintains backup water supplies throughout the metropolitan area. While these waterbodies do not have to meet stringent daily drinking water quality requirements, they are kept on standby status to be utilized in case of emergency.

FURTHER READING
Sudbury Reservoir Watershed Protection