Whiting Street Reservoir, often shortened as Whiting Reservoir a Class I hazard reservoir, is an auxiliary drinking supply for the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts. The reservoir has an impound capacity of more than 479 million gallons of water and a safe yield of 1.5 million US gallons (5,700 m3) of water per day.[2]
| Whiting Street Reservoir | |
|---|---|
 Pine stand on the shores of Whiting Reservoir | |
  Location in the United States  Whiting Street Reservoir (Massachusetts)  Whiting Street Reservoir (the United States) | |
| Official name | Whiting Street Reservoir |
| Country | United States of America |
| Location | Holyoke, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°14′29″N 72°38′10″W / 42.241509°N 72.636026°W |
| Purpose | Drinking water supply |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1888 |
| Owner(s) | City of Holyoke |
| Operator(s) | Holyoke Water Works |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 479×106 US gal (1.81 Gl) |
| Catchment area | 897 acres (363 ha) |
| Surface area | 114 acres (46 ha) |
| Maximum length | 6,280 ft (1,910 m) |
| Normal elevation | 387 ft (118 m)[1] |
| Website http://www.holyoke.org/departments/water-works/ | |
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The reservoir's construction finished and it became fully operational in 1888, with an access road added in 1897. The reservoir was built by damming up Raging Brook with a sandstone dam and earthen berm. Though the third water source added to the Holyoke Water Works, the reservoir was the first in the system to be created by a dam.[3] Fishing is not allowed in the reservoir to protect against aquatic invasive species. Following new filtration requirements in the 1980s, the Reservoir was put on standby in the early 1990s.[4]
Regulations designed to ensure pure water include the prohibiting of dogs, horseback riding, camping, smoking, sledding and motorcycle riding are among prohibited activities from the reservoir and abutting property.[5] The trail and access road around the reservoir was rededicated in 2018 as the Rudy Lengieza Cross Country Course for a former coach of high schools' boys and girls cross-country Holyoke Catholic High School who had served in that post for more than 50 years.[6]
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Whiting Street Reservoir
- ^ "HWW The Water System". City of Holyoke. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "Whiting Street Reservoir". Holyoke Canal System Tour. 2019. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020.
- ^ Lauer, Martin J. (July 21, 1987). "Water rates could triple, Proulx warns". Springfield Union-News. Springfield, Mass. p. 3.
- ^ "Holyoke Council wants risky reservoir entrance addressed". 20 April 2017.
- ^ Plaisance, Mike (June 21, 2018). "'Coach Rudy' to get honored with plaque dedication in Holyoke". The Republican. Springfield, Mass.
External links
edit- The Water System, Holyoke Water Works
- Whiting Street Reservoir, Come to Mount Tom