Dams in Massachusetts

%!s(int=1291)Total Dams

318High Hazard

616Significant

357Low Hazard

Dam Safety in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has 1,291 dams tracked in the National Inventory of Dams. Of these, 318 (24%) are classified as high hazard — meaning failure would probably cause loss of human life — and 616 are classified as significant hazard. Currently, 336 dams in the state have a condition assessment of poor or unsatisfactory, indicating recognized safety deficiencies.

The average dam in Massachusetts is 112 years old. Many of these aging structures were built before modern dam safety standards were established, which increases the importance of regular inspections and maintenance. The most common purpose for dams in Massachusetts is recreation, accounting for 728 of the state's dams.

Use the search above to find dams near any address in Massachusetts, or browse by county below. Each dam listing includes its hazard potential classification, condition assessment, physical characteristics, and inspection history from the NID.

Massachusetts Dam Facts

Total Dams	1,291
High Hazard Dams	318
Average Dam Age	112 years
Tallest Dam	245 ft
Largest Reservoir	1,810,000 acre-ft
Poor/Unsatisfactory Condition	336

Notable Dams in Massachusetts

Cobble Mountain Reservoir Dam245 ftHigh Quabbin Winsor Dam170 ftHigh Knightville Dam150 ftHigh Northfield Mt. - Main Dam145 ftHigh Quabbin Goodnough Dike135 ftHigh

Counties in Massachusetts

Barnstable18 dams Berkshire115 dams43 high hazard Bristol82 dams23 high hazard Dukes1 dams Essex111 dams34 high hazard Franklin59 dams10 high hazard Hampden84 dams20 high hazard Hampshire66 dams19 high hazard Middlesex143 dams42 high hazard Norfolk96 dams18 high hazard Plymouth123 dams10 high hazard Suffolk4 dams1 high hazard Worcester389 dams98 high hazard

High Hazard Dams in Massachusetts

Dam	County	Height	Condition	Purpose
Cobble Mountain Reservoir Dam	Hampden	245 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Quabbin Winsor Dam	Hampshire	170 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Knightville Dam	Hampshire	150 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Northfield Mt. - Main Dam	Franklin	145 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Quabbin Goodnough Dike	Hampshire	135 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Tighe Carmody Reservoir Dam	Hampshire	130 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Fife Brook	Franklin	130 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Wachusett Reservoir Dam	Worcester	114 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Sherman	Franklin	110 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Farnham Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	105 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Clam Lake Dam	Berkshire	97 ft	Fair	Flood Risk Reduction
Wachusett Reservoir North Dike	Worcester	85 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Granville Reservoir Dam	Hampden	85 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Lovell Reservoir Dam	Worcester	84 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Francis P. Ryan Dam	Franklin	80 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Sudbury Reservoir Dam	Worcester	77 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Borden Brook Reservoir Dam	Hampden	77 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Upper Sackett Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	76 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
North Silver Lake Dam	Berkshire	76 ft	Fair	Flood Risk Reduction
Westville Dam	Worcester	72 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Cleveland Brook Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	71 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Moose Hill Reservoir Dam	Worcester	71 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Pine Hill Reservoir Dam	Worcester	70 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Barre Falls Dam	Worcester	69 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Conway Reservoir Dam	Franklin	65 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Notch Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	64 ft	Poor	Water Supply
Schoolhouse Lake Dam	Berkshire	63 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Lynde Brook Reservoir Dam	Worcester	61 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Cohasse Brook Reservoir Dam	Worcester	60 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Black Brook Pl-566 Flood Control Dam	Hampden	60 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Ashland Reservoir Dam	Middlesex	59 ft	Satisfactory	Recreation
Tully Dam	Worcester	59 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Hopkinton Reservoir Dam	Middlesex	58 ft	Satisfactory	Recreation
Arm Brook Pl-566 Flood Control Dam	Hampden	58 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Holden Reservoir Dam No. 2	Worcester	57 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Leahey (upper) Reservoir Dam And Dike	Berkshire	57 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
East Brimfield Dam	Worcester	53 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Eclipse Dam	Berkshire	52 ft	Fair	Flood Risk Reduction
Lower Van Horn Reservoir Dam	Hampden	52 ft	Satisfactory	Recreation
Windsor Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	51 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Bickford Pond Dam	Worcester	51 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Perley Brook Reservoir Dam	Worcester	50 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Mill Pond Dam	Middlesex	50 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Birch Hill Dam - Winchenden Dike	Worcester	49 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Fells Reservoir Dam No. 8	Middlesex	48 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Somerset Reservoir Dam	Bristol	48 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Powdermill Brook Pl-566 Flood Control Dam	Hampden	48 ft	Fair	Flood Risk Reduction
Barre Falls Dam - Dike 3	Worcester	48 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
West Hill Dam - Dike D	Worcester	48 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Holden Reservoir Dam No. 1	Worcester	47 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Mare Meadow Reservoir Dam	Worcester	47 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Chicopee Reservoir Dam	Hampden	47 ft	Fair	Recreation
Lester G. Ross Dam	Worcester	46 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Littleville Dam - Saddle Dike	Hampshire	46 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Quinapoxet Reservoir Dam	Worcester	45 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
South Reservoir Dam	Middlesex	45 ft	Poor	Water Supply
Weston Reservoir Dam	Middlesex	45 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Wachusett Reservoir South Dike	Worcester	45 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Goose Cove Northwest Dike	Essex	44 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Breeds Pond Outlet Dam No. 5	Essex	44 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Haskell Pond Dam	Essex	43 ft	Poor	Water Supply
Walden Pond Outlet Dam	Essex	43 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Babson Reservoir Dam	Essex	43 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Norumbega Reservoir Dam No. 1	Middlesex	42 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Sandwash Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	41 ft	Poor	Water Supply
Cherry Valley Dam	Hampden	41 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Echo Lake Dam	Middlesex	41 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Westfield Reservoir Dam	Hampden	41 ft	Fair
Overlook Reservoir Dam	Worcester	41 ft	Poor
Scott Reservoir Dam	Worcester	40 ft	Poor	Water Supply
Copicut Reservoir Dam	Bristol	40 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Mount Williams Reservoir Dam & Dike	Berkshire	40 ft	Poor	Water Supply
Abbey Lake Dam	Berkshire	40 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Kendall Reservoir Dam	Worcester	39 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Crocker Pond Dam	Worcester	39 ft	Satisfactory	Hydroelectric
Mill Pond South Dike	Middlesex	39 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
West Parish Filter No. 3 Dam	Hampden	39 ft	Fair	Water Supply
October Mountain Lake Dam	Berkshire	39 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Kettle Brook Reservoir No. 3 Dam	Worcester	38 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Washington Mountain Lake Dam	Berkshire	38 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Barre Falls Dam - Dike 2	Worcester	38 ft	Not Available	Flood Risk Reduction
Egypt Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	37 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Fall Brook Reservoir Dam And Dike	Worcester	37 ft	Poor	Water Supply
Putnamville Reservoir Dam	Essex	37 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Grandin Reservoir Dam	Franklin	37 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Braintree Dam	Norfolk	37 ft	Fair	Flood Risk Reduction
Kettle Brook Reservoir No. 4 Dam	Worcester	36 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Upper Root Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	36 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Blue Hills Reservoir Dam	Norfolk	36 ft	Satisfactory	Recreation
Middle Roberts Meadow Reservoir Dam	Hampshire	36 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Goose Cove North Dam	Essex	35 ft	Fair	Water Supply
Sugden Reservoir Dam	Worcester	34 ft	Satisfactory	Recreation
Ashmere Lake Dam	Berkshire	34 ft	Satisfactory	Recreation
Lower Root Reservoir Dam	Berkshire	34 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Norumbega Reservoir East Dike	Middlesex	34 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Palmer Brook Dam	Berkshire	34 ft	Satisfactory	Recreation
Norumbega Reservoir Dike No. 4	Middlesex	34 ft	Satisfactory	Water Supply
Central Street Dam	Middlesex	34 ft	Fair	Other
Tyler Dam	Middlesex	34 ft	Satisfactory	Flood Risk Reduction
Atkins Reservoir Dam	Franklin	33 ft	Fair	Water Supply