Hopkinton Dam and Spillway

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Hopkinton Dam and Spillway
Hopkinton Dam and Spillway, Ashland MA.jpg
Hopkinton Dam and Spillway
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Location Ashland, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°15′25″N71°30′40″W / 42.25694°N 71.51111°W / 42.25694; -71.51111 Coordinates: 42°15′25″N71°30′40″W / 42.25694°N 71.51111°W / 42.25694; -71.51111
Area15 acres (6.1 ha)
Built1891
MPS Water Supply System of Metropolitan Boston MPS
NRHP reference No. 89002288 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 18, 1990

The Hopkinton Dam and Spillway is a historic site at the eastern end of Hopkinton Reservoir in Hopkinton State Park in Ashland, Massachusetts. The western end of the reservoir lies in the town of Hopkinton. The reservoir was constructed between 1891 and 1894 as part of the city of Boston's second major water works project, the impoundment of significant portions of the Sudbury River watershed. The Hopkinton Dam impounds Indian Brook, a Sudbury River tributary, creating the reservoir to its south. The core of the dam is concrete, with earthen embankments that are bermed on the water side, with rip-rap below. The spillway is at the northern end of the dam, and is a 650-foot (200 m) series of steps lined with granite set in concrete. Unlike other dams in the system, this one apparently never had gatehouses built above the chambers from which water flow is controlled. [2]

The dam and spillway were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Hopkinton Dam and Spillway". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-05-11.