Cobble Mtn. Reservoir valued for water supply, public accessDate: 11/3/2022 WESTERN MASS. — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal toured the West Parish Treatment Center and Cobble Mountain reservoir, dam and hydropower station with Springfield Water and Sewer Executive Director Josh Schimmel and commissioners Daniel Rodriguez and Matthew Donnellan on Oct. 21 to mark “Imagine a Day Without Water,” a national day of advocacy and education about the value of water.
Also on the tour was Blandford Town Administrator Christopher Dunne, who was able to visit the reservoir in his town for the first time, and who spoke briefly to officials about restoring public access to the watershed property, which has been restricted since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission is in the middle of a five-year, $550 million program to upgrade its aging water and wastewater infrastructure, largely dating from the 1930s to the 1970s, with the help of a $250 million competitive, low-interest federal loan from the federal Environmental Protection Agency authorized by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.
The commission is the first utility in Massachusetts to receive the loan, and the only one to receive it for capital projects, according to a Springfield Water and Sewer spokesperson. It is undertaking 20 capital projects to reduce risk, enhance climate resiliency and improve water and wastewater service reliability.
Among the projects included in the five-year plan, which began in 2021, is a clearwell and backwash pump station replacement at the West Parish site, being built on top of a water storage tank. Christina Jones, deputy director of water operations, said the commission contracted with C.H. Nickerson, Tighe & Bond and AECOM for engineering services on the $25 million project, on Granville Road in Westfield.
Completed are upgrades to the Diversion Gate House built in 1930 at Cobble Mountain Reservoir, one of three outlets for water to flow from the reservoir to the Cobble Mountain Hydropower Station, which Neal also toured. The upgrade to the gate house was completed in fall 2021, and eliminated the risk of the gates freezing in winter, allowing them to be used year-round
The largest project in the plan is the new West Parish Drinking Water Treatment Plant. The $238 million plant will help comply with federal regulations and improve drinking water quality and reliability. Design of the new plant is underway and on schedule. Construction is expected to begin in 2024 and be completed in 2027.
As part of the tour, Neal visited the Cobble Mountain Reservoir, the commission’s primary water supply that serves as the primary drinking water source for Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow and Springfield, as well as providing peak service when needed to Southwick, West Springfield and Westfield, and emergency connections to Chicopee and Wilbraham.
The reservoir is surrounded by more than 14,000 acres of protected watershed forest in Blandford and Granville that is actively managed by the commission, restricting access to protect water quality.
Built in 1931 to serve the growing city of Springfield, the Cobble Mountain Dam, which impounds the reservoir, was the largest earthen dam in the world at the time of construction, at 243 feet high. The reservoir is fed by the Little River and the Borden Brook Reservoir, which was constructed in 1909. Cobble Mountain Reservoir holds 22.5 billion gallons, roughly a two-year supply at today’s consumption rates.
Upgrades to the 100-year old reservoir and dam are not included in the five-year capital plan. Assistant Engineer Robert Stoops said the water has never overtopped the dam, which is actively monitored.
Also visited on the tour was the Cobble Mountain Hydropower Station in Granville, which was built in the 1930s and still uses its original turbines, although currently only one of three is online. The power plant is being upgraded as part of the capital improvements.
Stoops explained that the water from the reservoir is fed by gravity to the hydro station, generating enough energy along the way to power 25,000 households.
“The Little River is always flowing,” he said, which he called “the nature of an earthen dam.”
He said the foresight of the original engineer and staff created “green electricity before there was green electricity,” calling it “aging infrastructure in action.” He said the power plant is due for investment.
Stoops also talked about the 218-foot-tall, 25-foot-wide steel tower surge tank built in 2011 which towers over the hydro plant, protecting the water tunnel from surges through a relief valve. The surge tank won an engineering excellence award.
Speaking at the reservoir, commission Chair Daniel Rodriguez said it was a privilege to serve the people of Greater Springfield, and thanked all of its employees.
“The thing we have with water and sewer is transparent — we don’t think twice about it,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously, we’re very proud of this beautiful reservoir built in 1959 that serves over 250,000 people.”
Neal said the Springfield water supply is “the envy of America.” He talked about many states that are struggling with water, including Mississippi, parts of which currently have no water, and Flint, Michigan, where he said the horrors of the lead-contaminated water began “when they decided to turn it over to a private water facility. People ended up dying.”
Neal said Springfield Water and Sewer commissioners treat the system like their own and know the value of water.
“Clean water has done more to add longevity to life than anything else,” he said.
Executive Director John Schimmel, who said he started with Springfield Water and Sewer as a wastewater operator, said everybody should know about Springfield’s operation.
“At Springfield Water and Sewer, we have hundreds of years of water and wastewater experience. Everyone here is very passionate about water. Step by step, we will rebuild what needs to be rebuilt.”
The commission’s infrastructure plan also includes work on its sewer system, which includes a wastewater treatment plant on Bondi’s Island in Agawam serving Agawam, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Springfield, West Springfield and Wilbraham.
Recreation site
Dunne took the opportunity of a visit to the Cobble Mountain Reservoir to advocate for reopening the lands for passive recreation. The reservoir property and a former public road that ran through the property, connecting Blandford and Granville, have been closed to the public since 2001.
“The site visit was part of envisioning ‘a day without water,’ but I hope that Congressman Neal and representatives from Sen. Markey’s office also got a chance to imagine what it’s like for residents to go more than 20 years without access to Cobble Mountain Reservoir,” said Dunne after the visit, adding, ”And I hope they can imagine a day when this body of water is treated like the Quabbin: a critical water resource for our urban communities that serves as an unparalleled recreational asset for the rural communities that live alongside it.”
Dunne said he had a brief conversation with Schimmel, which touched on reopening the road.
“We also discussed opportunities for Springfield Water and the town of
Blandford to work in concert to advance our shared goals of protecting the natural assets of the watershed and shared aspiration to be good neighbors,” he said.
Springfield Water & Sewer Communications Director Jaimye Bartak said the watershed remains closed to the public to protect the water source for 250,000 people in Greater Springfield. She said water quality testing has become more stringent.
When asked why the Quabbin Reservoir, which supplies water to the Boston area, has been able to reopen for passive recreation, Bartak said that was part of the agreement with the Department of Conservation and Recreation when the reservoir was created from public land. The land for the Cobble Mountain Reservoir was purchased largely from private farmers and landowners in Blandford and Granville.
“It’s more about being able to patrol it,” she said, adding that the commission does bring students on supervised field trips to the reservoir.
Rodriguez said he grew up in Westfield, and used to come up to Cobble Mountain when he was young, and can understand the concerns about access.
“I can appreciate that, being someone who took advantage of it,” he said.
He added that the world is a very different place than before 9/11, when the reservoir lands first closed. Regarding the Quabbin, he said not all of it is open any more.
“You can’t drive a car through it,” he said.
More information on Springfield Water and Sewer’s five-year $550 million capital plan and the portfolio of projects is available at bit.ly/wn10xc.
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