Broad Brook Canal facts for kids
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The Broad Brook Canal is an important waterway in Ludlow, Massachusetts. It acts like a giant pipeline, carrying water to the Springfield Reservoir. This reservoir, also known as the Ludlow Reservoir, provides clean drinking water for the people living in Springfield, Massachusetts. The northern part of this canal is sometimes called the Jabish Canal.
Building the Broad Brook Canal
The Broad Brook Canal was first built around 1875. Its main job was to bring water from the Belchertown Reservoir and a nearby swamp. This water flowed into the eastern side of the Springfield Reservoir.
Why the Canal Was Extended
Originally, the canal was about 11,960 feet (3,650 m) long. However, people soon realized that the water from the Belchertown Reservoir wasn't very clean. To fix this, the canal was made longer between 1890 and 1891. Workers extended it north, past the Belchertown Reservoir, all the way to Jabish Brook. Jabish Brook is located east of Broad Brook.
Canal's Size and Features
After this extension, the Broad Brook Canal became much longer, reaching about 8 miles (13 km) in total. A special part of the canal, about 1,400 feet (430 m) long, was made from a large cast-iron pipe. This pipe was 54 inches wide and helped carry water across the Cherry Valley dam. The entire canal was designed to be 22 feet (6.7 m) wide at the top and 8 feet (2.4 m) wide at the bottom. It was also about 4.66 feet (1.42 m) deep.
