Weston Reservoir

Weston Reservoir
Location	Weston, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates	42°20′53″N 71°17′31″W
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	240 million US gal / day
Primary outflows	240 million US gal / day
Catchment area	60 acres (24 ha)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	≈2.2 mi
Max. width	≈1.6 mi
Surface area	≈3.5 mi²
Average depth	58 ft (18 m)
Max. depth	110 ft (34 m)
Water volume	200,000,000 US gal (760,000 m3)
Shore length1	≈4 mi
Surface elevation	200 ft (61 m)
Settlements	Weston
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The Weston Reservoir is part of the greater Boston water supply maintained by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

Until the 1960s, the Weston Reservoir was one of two distribution reservoirs close to Boston, receiving water from the Wachusett Reservoir via the Weston Aqueduct (placed in service in December 1903), which in turn received water from a connection to the Hultman Aqueduct in Southborough. Because of the construction of the water treatment facility at Walnut Hill, the Cosgrove Tunnel was shut down in 2003 in order to make the large piping connection between the new treatment plant and the MWRA's new MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel. The MetroWest Tunnel extends east 18.6 miles (29.9 km) from Walnut Hill to Weston. During that shutdown, the Wachusett Aqueduct was the primary method of transmission of about 240 million US gallons (910,000 m³) of water per day. It remains a backup connection to two underground storage tanks near the Massachusetts Turnpike in Weston as well as the Weston Reservoir.

Walkers extensively use the area around the Weston Reservoir. This reservoir is maintained along with other open distribution reservoirs (Sudbury, Foss, Brackett, Stearns, Norumbega, Waban, Spot Pond, Chestnut Hill and Middlesex Fells) as an emergency backup only. The MWRA's main distribution reservoirs are now covered storage facilities. The Weston Reservoir is now used by grounds crews and the MWRA's Emergency Service Unit for training and storage of emergency trucks and equipment.

• 
  Metropolitan Water District map, 1910

References

• Storage specifications
• History and geography of facility
• MWRA system map
• Geographical coordinates
• Federal court order requiring water system changes
• EPA reports including Weston Reservoir
• Court order and statement of facts about MWRA facilities