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11.479J / 1.851J Water and Sanitation Infrastructure in Developing Countries
Spring 2007
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Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
Supply and Demand Management of
Greater Boston’s Water System
(1600s – the present)
Joshua Das
Project Manager, Public Health, MWRA
April 3, 2007
1
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)
•
•
MWRA created in 1984
Currently serves 2.5 million people in 61 communities
2
Metro Boston Water Supply History In Brief
• A Journey Westward
• Begin in Boston, then
• Move West Seeking:
– Larger Quantities of
– Purer Water, at a
– Higher Elevation
3
Water System History - A Journey Westward
Early Boston
4
Early Boston Water System
•
Early Bostonians relied on local wells, rain barrels and a spring on
Boston Common for their water
•
In 1795 wooden pipes made from tree trunks delivered water from
Jamaica Pond to Boston
•
By the 1840s, Jamaica Pond was too
small and too polluted to provide
water to Boston’s 50,000 residents
•
A purer and larger source had to be
found
5
Water System History - A Journey Westward
Early Boston
Cochituate
6
The Cochituate System
•
•
•
After 20 years of study, the Cochituate System was chosen, and
construction began in 1845
The Sudbury River was impounded and Lake Cochituate was formed 14.5
miles from Boston. It provided 2 billion gallons of storage and 10 million
gallons per day
Water flowed into
the Frog Pond on
Boston Common in
1848 at a dedication
ceremony that drew
100,000
7
The Mystic Lakes System
•
By 1870, Boston’s
population soared to
200,000
•
In 1870 the Mystic
Lakes System in
Winchester, Medford
and Arlington was
added to the Boston
System
•
But engineers soon
looked west for a larger
source
Mystic Reservoir at Tufts College
8
Water System History - A Journey Westward
Early Boston
Cochituate
Sudbury
9
The Sudbury System
•
In 1878, the Sudbury River, 18 miles from Boston, was diverted
through the Sudbury Aqueduct to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir
•
By 1898, the Fayville
Dam and the Sudbury
Reservoir were
completed
10
Soon - A Regional Solution Was Needed
•
Boston continued to grow rapidly in the 1880s and 1890s
•
And planners had not foreseen the advent of indoor plumbing
•
In 1895 the Metropolitan Water District was formed to serve 11
cities and towns with a population of 750,000 and a water demand
of 70 million gallons per day
•
New water sources were considered: the Nashua River, the
Merrimack River, Lake Winnipesaukee and Sebago Lake
11
Water System History - A Journey Westward
Early Boston
Wachusett
Cochituate
Sudbury
12
The Wachusett Reservoir
•
Chief Engineer Frederick Stearns planned a water source that
would be gravity-operated and not require filtration
•
In 1897, the site was
chosen - the Nashua
River was impounded by
the Wachusett Dam, 38
miles from Boston
6.5 square miles were
flooded in the towns of
Boylston, West Boylston,
Clinton and Sterling
•
13
The Wachusett Reservoir
•
At the time it was constructed, the Wachusett Reservoir was the
largest man-made water supply reservoir in the world
•
Its 65 billion gallons
supplied 118 million
gallons per day
•
Work was completed in
1905 and the reservoir
filled in May 1908
14
But Even In 1895, Engineers Set Their Sites
Further West
15
And Planning Was Soon Underway
• In 1919, the Metropolitan District Commission was created
consolidating responsibility for water, sewage and parks
• The MDC and the Department of Public Health were
appointed to a Joint Board by the legislature to study water
supply needs
• The Joint Board made projections to1970 and determined
current water supply would be inadequate by 1930
• In 1922, the Joint Board recommended the addition of the
Ware River and the Quabbin Reservoir to the MDC water
supply system
• The Quabbin Reservoir, 60 miles from Boston, could be
gravity-operated and not require filtration
16
Water System History - A Journey Westward
Early Boston
Wachusett
Quabbin
Cochituate
Sudbury
17
The Quabbin Reservoir
•
Construction of the Wachusett-Colebrook Tunnel (now the
Quabbin Tunnel) began in 1926, carrying flow from the Ware
River to the Wachusett Reservoir.
•
In the 1930s, the Tunnel was
extended to the Swift River.
•
This two-way tunnel carries
flows east and west.
•
In 1936, construction of the
reservoir began.
•
Construction of the Quabbin
required the impoundment of
the Swift River and the
takings of four towns.
Moving a house from Greenwich
18
The Quabbin Reservoir
•
The reservoir was filled with
water from the Swift River and
the Ware River
•
Filling began in 1939 and was
completed in 1946
•
At the time, the 412 billion
gallon reservoir was the largest
man-made reservoir in the
world
Road still visible beneath surface of water
19
Current Reservoir Capacity
Quabbin Reservoir
Storage:
412 billion gallons
Depth:
150 feet
Length:
17.9 miles
Width:
3 miles
Wachusett Reservoir
Storage:
65 billion gallons
Depth:
129 feet
Length:
8.5 miles
Width:
1 mile
20
Cumulative Water Supply Capacity
Billion Gallons
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0 1848
ke
La
C
1870
e
at
u
t
hi
oc
M
t ic
ys
s
ke
a
L
y
ur
b
d
Su
1872
m
te
s
Sy
h
ac
W
R
tt
e
us
1908
r
oi
v
er
es
i
bb
a
u
Q
n
1946
R
ir
vo
r
e
es
21
Population Growth & Water Usage Kept Growing
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Population
1980
1960
1940
1920
1900
1880
1860
0.0
1840
Population (mil.)
3.0
Demand (mgd)
MWRA System Water Demand vs. Population
MGD
22
Demand Exceeded Safe Yield
350
MGD
300
250
200
150
100
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
Demand
Safe Yield
Figure by MIT OCW.
1987
23
Northeast Drought
•
Just 20 years after Quabbin was completed, the drought of the
1960s led some to believe that the source might not be sufficient
to serve water needs in the decades to come
•
Capacity of the Quabbin Reservoir reached a historic low of 44%
in May 1967
Jan 73
Jan-68
Jan-63
Jan-58
Jan-53
Jan-48
100
80
60
40
20
0
24
Studies For Northfield Mountain Project
•
•
•
The Northfield Project was a proposal for skimming Connecticut
River spring flood flows and diverting them into the Quabbin
Reservoir, using a pumped-storage facility
The measure was authorized by the legislature in both 1967 and
1970
The storage was built into the Northfield Mountain power reservoir.
25
Water Management Era Begins
•
Earth Day and the rise of the environmental movement
•
Citizen awareness and participation increased
•
Founded as the Northfield Citizens Advisory Committee in 1977,
the Water Supply Citizens Advisory Committee continues today
•
MEPA established to open up decision-making
•
Coalition forms against Connecticut River diversion and exploits
Western Massachusetts resentment toward Boston
•
State of Connecticut fights plan and threatens lawsuit
26
Nine Alternatives To Be Considered
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Demand Management
No Action
Connecticut River
Watershed Management
Millers/Tully Rivers
Merrimack River
Upper Sudbury
User Sources
Plymouth Aquifer
27
MWRA Formed
•
MWRA began operations in 1985
•
MDC retains watershed and reservoir management
•
MWRA reviews Long Range Water Supply Study begun by MDC
that included diversion options of Connecticut, Merrimack and
Sudbury Rivers
•
Extensive briefing and consultation process
•
In November 1986, the Board of Directors voted to try water
conservation for a 3-year period to curb demand
28
25 Separate Short and Long Term Policies
• Leak Detection, Repair and Metering
• Conservation and Demand Management
• Improved Use of Sources
• Water Supply Protection
• Management and Planning for the Future
• Outreach and Reporting
29
Demand Management Strategy
WATER USE
Problem
Response
Residential
Toilet
Shower
Laundry
Kitchen
Tub & Sink
Outdoor
Industrial
Commercial
Institutional
Process
Cooling
Sanitary
Inefficient Fixtures
Poor Water Habits
Retrofit Fixtures
Public Education
School Education
Efficient Technology
Inefficient Fixtures
Once Through Cooling
Inefficient Process Use
Technical Assistance
Water Audits
Technology Transfer
Training & Education
Leakage
Meter Errors
Leak Survey & Repair
Test/Replace Meters
Unaccounted
For Water
Leakage
Meter Errors
Public Use
Other
30
Multimedia Approach
Purpose
Technique
Distribution
Make consumers Aware
Bill Stuffers
Messages on Water Bills
Brochures
Displays
Public Service
Announcements
Press Releases
Fact Sheets
FAQ's
Newsletters
Speakers Bureau
Resources Network
Customer Service Training
Personal contact
Independent, credible
sources
Partnerships
Newsletters
Utilities direct mail
Community centers
Town halls, Libraries
Special events
Radio, TV, Cable
Local Media
Respond to Questions
Facilitate Decisions
On Request
Workshops
Community Meetings
WEB site
Employee
Workshops
Community Meetings
Customer hotline
Water Savings at Home
• MWRA's Operation WaterSense in 1990s installed 1.3
million water saving fixtures in approximately 350,000
households.
• Public Education Outreach
• School Education program promotes water
conservation awareness
• Code Changes Locally and Nationally
32
Promote Water Efficient Technologies
• Ultra Low Flow Toilets
• Energy Efficient Appliances
33
Water Savings In Businesses and Institutions
• Identify Possible Efficiency Improvements with Audits
• Demonstrate Their Effectiveness through
Implementation
• Reach Out and Publicize Success
• Increasing Cost of Water and Sewer Service No Small
Incentive
• Market Forces and Private Firms Keep it going
34
Source Protection and Development
• 1970’s Saw Many Sources Lost Due to Newly
Identified Contaminants
• MWRA Concern:
– MWRA Partially Supplied Communities Will Lose
Their Sources
– Adjacent Communities will Need MWRA Water
• MWRA Program:
– 40 Local Community Source Protection Studies
• Potential New or Rehabilitated Sources Identified
35
Management and Planning for the Future
• Drought Preparedness Planning
• Redundancy Studies
• Conservation Policies For Contract Users and New
Communities
• Routine Review of Leading Indicators on Demand
• Better Source Performance Indicators to Evaluate New
Users
– Not Just Safe Yield, but a Whole Suite of Tools
36
Conservation Worked!
MWRA Annual Average System Demand
350
Total System Demand
was reduced from 336
in 1987 to 256 mgd in
1997
300
MGD
•
250
200
150
100
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
City of Boston Water Dem and
1910 - 2002
Boston’s Demand is
the Lowest Since
1915
160
140
MGD
•
120
100
80
60
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
37
What Happened to Demand?
Real Versus Projected Demand Shows the Dramatic Change
MWRA Demand
450
400
Demand (mgd)
350
300
250
200
Historical Use
150
W FA Projection
100
Actual Use
50
0
1840
1860
1880
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
Ye ar
38
MWRA Current Demand
350
DEP & Standard Practice Safe Yield
340
330
320
310
WMA Registration – 312 mgd
300
MWRA Conservative Safe Yield – 300 mgd
290
280
270
260
Water Available to Non-MWRA Communities
with Deficits
Communities With Active Interest
Cushion for Partial Communities
250
Projected Growth to 2030
240
230
MWRA 5-Year Average Demand
220
MWRA Current Demand
39
Conservatively, We Have 36 MGD Available
DEP & Standard Practice Safe Yield
350
340
50 mgd
330
320
310
300
290
36 mgd
280
270
260
WMA Registration
12 mgd
MWRA Conservative Safe Yield Estimate
Water Available to Non-MWRA Communities
with Deficits
Communities With Active Interest
Cushion for Partial Communities
250
Projected Growth to 2030
240
230
MWRA 5-Year Average Demand
220
MWRA Current Demand
40
“Safe Yield”
• DEP Safe Yield & Standard Engineering
355 mgd
• All Time Highest Usage 1980
342 mgd
• WSCAC 1984
318 mgd
• WMA Registration
312 mgd
• MWRA Conservative Estimate
300 mgd
Net of 31 million gallons of required releases
41
Conservative Estimate Available Safe Yield
• MWRA Uses the 1960’s Drought:
– a One in 300+ Year Event
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
1 in 20 years drought
40.0%
1 in 300 years drought
20.0%
0.0%
Jan-50
Jan-60
Jan-70
Jan-80
Jan-90
Jan-00
42
MWRA Current Demand
• Current 5-Year Running Average – 225 mgd
MWRA Water Demand vs. System Safe Yield
Million Gallons Per Day
350
325
300
275
System's Long-Term Safe Yield of 300 MGD
*
250
225
200
85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04
*
Includes temporary supply to Cambridge during construction of local w ater treatment plant
43
Summary of Demand Assumptions
Build-Out Analysis High Estimate
Medium Estimate
Low Estimate
Indeterminate
Timeframe
2030 MAPC
Population and
Employment
2030 MAPC
Population and
Employment
2030 MAPC
Population and
Employment
Every Lot in
Region is
Developed
No Demand
Reductions by
Current Users
Continued
Efficiency
Changes
More Aggressive
conservation
Small Decrease in
Local Source
Availability
44