Whiting Street Reservoir, often shortened as Whiting Reservoir a Class I hazard reservoir, is an auxiliary drinking supply for the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts. The reservoir has an impound capacity of more than 479 million gallons of water and a safe yield of 1.5 million gallons of water per day.[1]

Whiting Street Reservoir
Pine stand on the shores of Whiting Reservoir
Location in the United States Show map of Holyoke Whiting Street Reservoir (Massachusetts) Show map of Massachusetts Whiting Street Reservoir (the United States) Show map of the United States
Official name	Whiting Street Reservoir
Country	United States of America
Location	Holyoke, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42.241509°N 72.636026°W / 42.241509; -72.636026
Purpose	Drinking water supply
Status	Operational
Opening date	1888
Owner(s)	City of Holyoke
Operator(s)	Holyoke Water Works
Reservoir
Total capacity	479 million gallons
Catchment area	897 acres
Surface area	114 acres
Maximum length	6280 feet
Website http://www.holyoke.org/departments/water-works/

The reservoir's construction finished and it became fully operational in 1888, with an access road added in 1897. The reservoir was built by damming up Raging Brook with a sandstone dam and earthen berm. Though the third water source added to the Holyoke Water Works, the reservoir was the first in the system to be created by a dam.[2] Fishing is not allowed in the reservoir to protect against aquatic invasive species. Following new filtration requirements in the 1980s, the Reservoir was put on standby in the early 1990s.[3]

Regulations designed to ensure pure water include the prohibiting of dogs, horseback riding, camping, smoking, sledding and motorcycle riding are among prohibited activities from the reservoir and abutting property.[4] The trail and access road around the reservoir was rededicated in 2018 as the Rudy Lengieza Cross Country Course for a former coach of high schools' boys and girls cross-country Holyoke Catholic High School who had served in that post for more than 50 years.[5]

References

External links

• The Water System, Holyoke Water Works
• Whiting Street Reservoir, Come to Mount Tom