OUTDOOR RECREATION AND THE QUABBIN RESERVOIR: AN EXERCISE IN POLITICAL MANEUVERING?

Abstract: The Quabbin Reservoir was built in the 1930’s as a water supply for Boston. It is currently managed by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) as an unfiltered source of drinking water. In order to ensure that water quality remains high enough to avoid the installation of a multi-million dollar filtration plant, the MDC has limited public access to the reservoir and recreation use on its surrounding lands. As a result, the Quabbin is essentially undeveloped and wilderness-like in its current condition. As one of the largest bodies of freshwater in New England, the Quabbin has a recreational appeal not easily found elsewhere. Some activities, such as hiking, picnicking, birdwatching and shore and boat fishing are allowed. However, other user groups would like to recreate at the Quabbin, but cannot because of use restrictions. For example, swimming, off-road bicycling, canoeing, sailing and cross-country skiing are all prohibited. On the surface, the recreation policies of the MDC are puzzling and seemingly incongruent. For example, motor boats are allowed on the reservoir, even though the engines and users could contaminate the water, but sailboats and canoes are not. Hunters are allowed on an area known as Prescott Peninsula, but hikers are not. Logging operations using heavy equipment are conducted as part of watershed management, but camping is prohibited. The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of recreation at the Quabbin Reservoir. Particular attention will be paid to the science and politics behind various management decisions. It will also examine the types of use sought and by whom and the potential for the Quabbin to accommodate such uses