Drinking Water Week is celebrated annually across the country during the first week of May. Each day this week, we’ll share a post about ways that the Northampton Department of Public Works (DPW) ensures that residents have reliable access to clean, safe drinking water.
Tuesday, May 6th
We often think of water infrastructure as pipes, storage tanks and treatment plants, but natural processes play a significant role in the quality and quantity of drinking water available. 99% of Northampton’s water is collected in three reservoirs which are located in Williamsburg, Hatfield and Whately. These reservoirs together can store over 1 billion gallons of water. This cool, high- quality water is initially filtered by thousands of acres of forest in the towns of Conway, Whately and Williamsburg. The City is fortunate to have this natural infrastructure as part of the City’s water system.
The photo below shows Ryan Reservoir and surrounding forest in Whately (photo taken during annual in-lake inspection).
