Paddlin' to the Arches

This past Friday proved ideal for visiting a different kind of water route...especially considering that it's January in New England...45 degrees F with no ice to contend with.

Leaving the Charles River and ascending Waban Brook I approached the "Waban Arches" finding it hard to imagine that water from the Sudbury River once flowed high above within its red-bricked portion...yet, as recently as 1978 as much as 90 million gallons per day did just that.
 
The view from the Charles just a bit downriver from where it looks as though the river itself passes through...

The 1876 date serves to remind it was built and placed into service by the Boston Water Works at the time of our country's centennial...
...and coincidentally the same year a hot and dusty battle occurred out west in Montana where General George Armstrong Custer possibly swigged his last sip of water from a canteen...or possibly a flask, before his ride into infamy.

According to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) website the Sudbury Aqueduct was built to transport 90 million gallons of water per day from the Sudbury River watershed in Framingham 17.4 miles to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Boston.  It served that purpose faithfully for about 100 years.  The aqueduct was taken out of regular service in 1978 but continued to be maintained in the event of an emergency.  Such an emergency occurred in 2010 (water main break) when for 3 days the Sudbury Aqueduct was, once again, called upon to deliver water to Boston.  Attesting to the aqueduct having been well maintained, it was able to answer the call.

Some photos of other structures taken along the way:

The old Bay Colony railroad bridge which hasn't carried a train across the river in decades...

...the handsome Center Ave/Centre Street bridge...
...the South Street Bridge just above the falls below Redwing Bay...



My trip took me around the Charles River Peninsula...
...and further along past 3 black ducks hanging out with mallards who took flight while these guys didn't.  First thought they were coots but later realized they were some type of duck I'd not seen before.... 

A Mylar balloon got rescued... 
...which joined an assortment of empty plastic containers gathered-up from behind a snag upstream of the Charles River Street bridge.

Couldn't help but to feel lucky having enjoyed such a fine January afternoon on the water.



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