Natural Resources

Blue Hills Covered Storage Project,
Canton, Massachusetts

Client: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Besides its scenic views, varied terrain, and miles of trails, the Blue Hills Reservation is home to the 16-acre Blue Hills Reservoir. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) is constructing a secure water storage system there to provide a safe source of drinking water while preserving wetlands and the aesthetic features of the Reservoir. Tetra Tech Rizzo has completed alternatives analysis, conceptual design, environmental review and permitting, and specification development to provide 25 million gallons of storage for the Southern Low Service Area of the MWRA Metropolitan Boston water distribution system. The team developed an approach that largely limited impacts to the previously disturbed area created by construction of the existing Blue Hills Reservoir, avoiding impacting the surrounding forest habitat that has been largely untouched for the last century.