Barre Falls Dam

The Barre Falls Dam is located on the Ware River in Barre, Massachusetts, about 0.3 mile (0.48 km) below the junction of the river's east and west branches and 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Worcester, Massachusetts.Designed and constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, this dam substantially reduces flooding along the Ware, Chicopee, and Connecticut rivers. Construction of the project began in May 1956 with completion in July 1958 at a cost of US$2 million.The Barre Falls reservoir is located within the Upper Ware River Watershed and is part of the Chicopee River Watershed. Access to the site is available from Route 62.DescriptionThe project consists of an earth fill dam with stone slope protection 885 feet long and 69 feet high. There are three dikes totaling 3,215 feet in length with a maximum elevation of 48 feet . Cut in rock, the spillway comprises a concrete weir 60 ft . in length. The weir's crest elevation is 23 feet lower than the top of the dam. There is no lake at the Barre Falls Dam. The flood storage area for the project, which is normally empty, stores floodwaters and covers about 1500acre in the towns of Barre, Hubbardston, Rutland, and Oakham, Massachusetts. The entire project, including all associated lands, covers 2407acre. The Barre Falls Dam can store up to 7.82e9USgal of water for flood control purposes. This is equivalent to 8.2 inches of water covering its drainage area of 55 square miles .