DCR Watershed Public Access Rules and Maps

Find rules and maps that describe public access activities in DCR's drinking water supply watersheds.

DCR Division of Water Supply Protection (DWSP) manages over 100,000 acres of land and 30,000 acres of water across the watershed system that provides the source waters to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) for treatment and distribution to 2.7 million people.  

Public access and recreational uses of water supply property are complex issues.  Any human activity on or near water supply source waters can introduce disease-causing agents or pollutants to the drinking water supply.  Water supply managers must exercise caution when considering policies for public access and recreation on water supply lands. 

DWSP and MWRA must meet strict state and federal laws as one of the few unfiltered drinking water supplies in the nation.  At the same time these reservoirs and lands are valuable natural resources that attract the public to explore and recreate.  DWSP's public access management plans determine the levels of access that may be reasonably allowed without risking water supply safety, security, or quality.

The following sections provides summaries of the policies created during the Public Access Management Plan process, and are accurate at the time of publication.  Please refer to the on-line, interactive public access map app for up-to-date information regarding roads, trails, and other recreation related activities.

Rules and Regulations

All of DWSP's Public Access Policies are based on 313 CMR 11.09, the General Rules and Regulations for the Protection of Watersheds and Watershed System.

Watershed Protection General Rules and Regulations 313 CMR 11.09

Each of the four watersheds have policies developed through a Public Access Management Plan.  The maps below reflect these policies.

• 2018 Quabbin Reservoir Watershed System Public Access Summary
• 2023 Ware River Watershed Public Access Management Summary
• 2023 Wachusett Reservoir Watershed Public Access Summary
• 2022 Sudbury and Foss Reservoirs Public Access Summary

Click here to view entire Public Access Management Plans.

Interactive Public Access Map

The Division of Water Supply Protection has developed an interactive map with detailed information about public access roads and trails, fishing, and hunting in the Quabbin Reservoir, Ware River, Wachusett Reservoir, and Sudbury Reservoir watersheds.  These maps meet current accessibility guidelines.

There are two ways to access this map: one is an online program that is accessible from your desktop computer or mobile device’s web browser; the other is through an App you can download directly to your mobile device and use in the field.  The mobile device App is recommended for use in the field.

Click here to directly access the on-line DCR-DWSP Public Access Maps.

Please use the Instructions for using DCR Division of Water Supply Protections Public Access Maps in ArcGIS Field Maps for information about the mobile app.

Quabbin Reservoir Watershed

Quabbin Reservoir Watershed System Public Access Summary (includes system map)

• Quabbin Reservoir Fishing Map

The Gate 30 parking area off Route 122 in New Salem, and all access to the Quabbin Reservation from this location, is closed as of July 10, 2021.  The road just inside Gate 30 crosses the Swift River over a keystone bridge; DCR engineers have determined that damage to both the bridge and road make them no longer safe for public use until repairs can be completed.  DCR recommends using Gate 29 on Route 202 to access this section of the Quabbin Reservation.

StoryMap Trail Guides

StoryMaps use maps, pictures, and words to help you on a self-guided hike in different locations around the Wachusett Reservoir.

• Quabbin Park Cemetery Tour
• Webster Road Trail Tip-Trip
• Bald Mountain Hill Trail
• Goodnough Dike Vista Trail
• Tower Trail
• Webster Road
• Visitor Center Loop Trail
• Spillway Trail
• East Gate Trail
• Old Stone Trail

Ware River Watershed

2023 Ware River Watershed Public Access Management Summary

• DCR DWSP Boater Self Certification Form - Asnocomet (Comet) Pond
• DCR DWSP Boater Self Certification Form - Long Pond

Wachusett Reservoir Watershed

2023 Wachusett Reservoir Watershed Public Access Summary

• Wachusett Reservoir Fishing Map and Rules
• Wachusett Reservoir Forest Roads and Gates

StoryMap Trail Guides

StoryMaps use maps, pictures, and words to help you on a self-guided hike in different locations around the Wachusett Reservoir.

• Gate 22 to Horseshoe Cove
• Gate 25 - Gates Cove
• North Dike and Pollinator Meadows Loop
• North Dike to Wachusett Dam

Sudbury Reservoir Watershed

Sudbury and Foss Reservoirs 2022 Public Access Management Plan Summary