MWRA intake on the Ware River

Barre, Hubbardston, Oakham, Phillipston, Princeton, Rutland, Templeton, and Westminster.
508-882-3636

The DCR owns approximately 23,000 acres in an area commonly known as the Ware River watershed. Located in Central Massachusetts between the Quabbin Reservoir and the Wachusett Reservoir, the Ware River watershed is the land and water which drain to the MWRA diversion facility on the Ware River in Barre. The water that enters the intake travels to either the Quabbin or Wachusett Reservoir through an underground tunnel, the Quabbin aqueduct.

Things to know before you go
The primary purpose of DCR water and surrounding lands is drinking water supply. Public access, therefore, is carefully regulated and controlled to protect over 2 million people’s source of drinking water. State regulations require all entry and exit through gates or other designated areas only. Anything that could pollute the water supply system, such as litter or refuse of any sort, is prohibited. Please observe restrictions on recreational activities. Direct water contact activities, such as swimming and wading, are strictly prohibited by regulation.

DCR permits public access and recreational activities which are compatible with protection of the drinking water supply, and these other objectives:
• apparent wilderness character stewardship
• natural resource management
• historic and prehistoric site preservation
• long-term ecosystem health improvement/biological diversity

Maps and Regulations
Click here to view public access maps
Click here to view public access policy and rules
Click here for general rules and regulations