Town almost loses Lake Quassapaug

#MiddleburyCT #Lake Quassapaug

This view, taken from a kayak, shows the west shore of Lake Quassapaug. The lake, with water once described as “remarkably good,” was at one time being considered as a possible reservoir for the city of Waterbury. (Robert L. Rafford photo)

By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD

Part I of III – There may not be a single Middleburian who has overlooked the beauty of Lake Quassapaug. Whether it was sightseeing along its nearby scenic road; swimming, boating or fishing in its limpid waters; or visiting its famed Quassy Amusement Park, we all have profited from this ancient body of water. However, Middleburians may be surprised to learn that our town almost lost this precious natural wonder at least twice in recent history.

Waterbury had various water supplies for its first years, usually constructed by local residents and businesses. By the 1850s, new sources were sought. Two commissions viewed Lake Quassapaug, Hancock Brook and East Mountain Brook for a new major source and decided on East Mountain. In 1867 and 1868, a distributing reservoir and main reservoir were constructed there, the first holding 8 million gallons of water, and the main reservoir holding 100 million gallons.

Waterbury’s population in 1867 was fewer than 10,000, but by 1890 it had grown to 30,000. The East Mountain reservoir provided water for about 15 years, but by 1880 it was becoming inadequate, so that year the city built a reservoir with a capacity of 10 million gallons on Cooke Street near Grove Street. A few years later, the old dam was removed and a new reservoir, the Prospect Reservoir, was constructed about 1883. At the same time, the Mad River in Waterbury was tapped.

Because of increasing demand, the water commissioners were directed by the Common Council, Waterbury’s governing body, to conduct a survey and examine Hop Brook (which originates from Lake Winnemaug in Watertown), Lindley or Lindsley Brook and Chestnut Hill Brook (both in Wolcott), and Lake Quassapaug for potential sources. A choice of Hop Brook, which wends its way through Middlebury, would have serious consequences for our town.

In May 1888, water commissioners rejected a choice of Lake Quassapaug for Waterbury’s new source and voted to build a reservoir holding 100 million gallons on Hop Brook in Watertown, just north Middlebury. However, some commissioners still favored Lake Quassapaug for their source, and that is when some serious argumentation began.

Roswell Bronson Wheaton (1815-1892), prominent Middleburian, in an 1888 letter to the mayor of Waterbury, published in the “Waterbury Democrat,” opined that Hop Brook is “nearly dry three or four months of the year,” and “it will receive the wash of so many barnyards to render the water impure!” He advocated the use of Hancock Brook in Waterville (a section in northern Waterbury) for the water supply to Waterbury.

Subsequently, Luther Chapin White (1821-1893), owner of the failed Southford Paper Company, made a proposition to the Waterbury board of water commissioners, offering to sell the company, with its land and water privileges from Lake Quassapaug, on condition the sale be made immediately. The “Waterbury Republican” assumed the cause and advocated using Lake Quassapaug with its “remarkably good” water. But the board members stood fast to their choice of Hop Brook while conceding that a future purchase of Lake Quassapaug was still an open question. In the meantime, the paper company was purchased anew and a reorganization of it was on the horizon.

Mayor Boughton of Waterbury weighed in and advocated the choice of Lake Quassapaug over Hop Brook, but urged “great care” be exercised. About that time, the “Waterbury Democrat” newspaper editorial board began advocating the use of Bantam Lake in Litchfield for Waterbury’s new water source (today about an 18-mile drive). In January 1889, it published an editorial stating that this lake should be tapped “without much trouble.” After this choice, he said the town “should not have this question to disturb us for a hundred years.” All parties seemed to agree, however, that Lake Quassapaug had the purest water of all bodies of water being considered, and its fate would remain in question for years.

Bob Rafford is the Middlebury Historical Society president and Middlebury’s municipal historian. To contact the society, visit MiddleburyHistoricalSociety.org or contact him at president@middleburyhistoricalsociety.org. Your membership and support are welcome.