Rochester is a pretty watery place (particularly these last few weeks) with its ponds, brooks and streams. A lot of the water is near the surface and two-acre zoning was put in place, in part to conserve the water that fills most residents’ wells. However, due to past agreements and the separations that created Marion and Mattapoisett, Rochester isn’t in control of all of its water. Town wells, like the ones on Mary’s Pond Road are run by the Marion Water Dept., and the large ponds abutting North Rochester are under the control of New Bedford.
Beginning in the 1700’s and continuing into the present, cities have grown and that growth has increased their need for water. As early as 1799, the Massachusetts General Court passed an “act enabling proprietors of aqueducts to manage the same.” This was the first official state law that addressed the regulations for providing water. It immediately spurred the creation of numerous aqueduct companies. An aqueduct is an artificial channel for conveying water over a gap of some kind.
The First Aqueduct Association was formed in 1803 in Bedford Village and was the first such association in Massachusetts. By 1860, a committee was appointed by the now, city of New Bedford, to search out and survey possible locations that could provide a permanent supply of fresh water for the city. They also needed to ascertain the costs that would be involved. It is interesting to note that the last names of several of the committee were surnames found in Rochester, such as, George A. Briggs, city surveyor; Isaac C. Taber, chairman, and Charles H. Bigelow, engineer.
Many areas were investigated and finally, a site was chosen for a storing reservoir in the Acushnet Valley that could be connected to the Acushnet River by an aqueduct. Local residents were opposed to the entire idea, but the Legislature on April 18, 1863 passed an act to provide the water to New Bedford. As soon as construction was completed in 1867, water filled the reservoir which almost immediately collapsed, flooding the surrounding area. Repaired by 1869, it did not live up to its promise. Over a couple of years, the water level shrank so low that plant life was exposed to the sun. The vegetation rotted and tainted the water.
To get back to cleaner, better tasting water, a connection was made to Little Quitticus Pond which lies in the northwest corner of Rochester. With the passage of time and the increase in population, the Acushnet plant and reservoir no longer could provide enough water and were abandoned in1899. Starting in 1896, new plans were being drawn for their replacement. The building of the New Bedford Water Works (that we see today) was completed in 1899. The water pumped into the waterworks came from both Big and Little Quitticus Ponds. In 1926, additional water was pumped in from Long and Pocksha Ponds and Assawompsett Pond, a part of which lies along Rochester’s north side.
The Romanesque Revival style buildings include a pumping station and five small gate and screen houses, all built in 1899. The job of the gate houses is to regulate the flow of water from the ponds. The screen houses screen any large debris that might damage the pumps. At first, the pumping station drew water directly from the pond and into homes. However, the system was modified, and a water treatment plant was built in 1978. The pumping station, gate and screen houses continue to operate as they always have.
Of all the interesting stone buildings that make up the waterworks, it was the little stone structures resembling castles that filled my imagination whenever we passed them on our way to my grandparents’ house. Who knew what little elves or fairies might live in those stone houses at the end of the long walkways through the water.
By Connie Eshbach
