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MWRA to partially drain Chestnut Hill Reservoir
By adamg on Wed, 11/01/2023 - 3:19pm
But don't worry, they know how to put the stopper back in. The authority plans to lower the water in the reservoir, starting today, by about ten feet in an attempt to control the dread Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive weed that, if left unchecked, can choke the reservoir.
The goal is to allow for "a successful depth freeze" that would kill enough of the weed to reduce the need for an herbicide or other weed-control methods.
The authority expects the drawdown to last through Dec. 1, after which experts will cross their fingers and hope for a deep enough freeze by sometime in February, after which the MWRA will turn a spigot and let water flow back into the reservoir.
The reservoir, which holds 500 million gallons of water, was once part of the Boston water-supply system. Today it serves as an emergency backup - it sprang into use in 2010 when an exploding connector in Weston cut off much of the area's drinking water from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs.
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Comments
I FIGURED something was up
All those big pipes that have been stacked at the base since this summer suggested that they had some kind of plans.
Good luck with that milfoil. Once it takes hold, it's almost impossible to eradicate.
Nothing to do with it
The big pipes stacked up below the dam have nothing to do with lowering or raising the level of the reservoir. That's just opening and closing valves. They do so repeatedly throughout the year.
The pipes were for replacement of water mains in the area mostly under Beacon, Waverly, and Ward. See here:
https://www.mwra.com/projects/water/6392/6392-update.html
The existence of the MWRA and
The existence of the MWRA and the region's excellent drinking water are proof that government can do big things when resources and minds are focused on a singular task at hand.
Can we put them in charge of
Can we put them in charge of the T?
Apples and Oranges
MWRA works well because it can charge you anything it wants (effectively) to cover the costs of bringing you, and then relieving you, of water. If the MWRA had a T-like budget, I'd be scared to think what we would be drinking.
Oceania is at war
with Eurasia now?
The chocolate ration …
… has been raised to 40 grams.
Hope it works
10-15 years ago they did the same thing with the Foss Reservoir in Framingham. What followed was a very mild winter and too shallow frost to have much effect.
tell all the area college students
that the weed can be dried and smoked. The reservoir will be picked clean in a week.
Same thing in Hopkinton
Every year, there is a discussion over whether to drain Lake Maspenock to rid it of growth. Sometimes when it has been lowered, it did nothing because of the mild winter.