Sudbury Aqueduct - Echo Bridge - Needham, MA
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NorStar
N 42° 18.892 W 071° 13.592
19T E 316511 N 4687137
Echo Bridge is a visible component of the Sudbury Aqueduct, which provided water to the Boston metropolitan area starting in the late 1800s.
Waymark Code: WM50N0
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 10/21/2008
Views: 24
In the rocky Hemlock Gorge where the Charles River passes through a wooded parcel, Echo Bridge spans the width of the gorge to support an old aqueduct for metropolitan Boston.
The Sudbury Aqueduct was one of four water aqueducts that transported water from outlying areas into Boston. The earliest was the Cochituate Aqueduct, which transported water from Lake Cochituate in Natick to Boston from 1848 to 1951. The Sudbury Aqueduct was the second one built and was a primary water transportation route from 1878 to 1978. Two others were the Wachusett Reservoir Aqueduct, still active, and Quabbin Reservoir Aqueduct, since replaced by the modern Metrowest Water Tunnel. The Sudbury Aqueduct serves now as a backup system.
This aqueduct started at the Sudbury Reservoir #1 in Framingham (dammed portions of the Sudbury River) and ran through Natick, Wellesley, Needham, Newton and Brookline to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, by Boston College. In some places, the aqueduct is underground, in some others, it might be distinguishable as a straight, long hump in the ground. At others, it is well above ground, like at the gorge.
Echo Bridge is the most impressive portion of the aqueduct. It stands about 51 feet from the river to its crown. There are several sources that claim that the arch over the Charles River was the second longest masonry arch in the United States at the time of building. One benefit in having the arch is that it is a great opportunity to hear an echo (hence the name). There is a platform on the Newton side of the river where you can throw your voice and hear one or several responses!
You have the opportunity to cross the bridge, now and get great views of the gorge below.
This is a primary source, from a local elementary school located along the aqueduct:
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Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) history site on all the aqueducts:
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This source has a good story on the Sudbury Aqueduct and a good map of its location.
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visit link)