Stillwater River (Nashua River)

Infobox River | river_name = Stillwater River

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caption = View from Wachusett Reservoir entry
origin = Princeton, Massachusetts
mouth = Wachusett Reservoir
basin_countries = USA
length = 9.9 miles (16 km)
elevation = 720 ft (219.5 m)
mouth_elevation = 384 ft (117 m)
discharge = 40 ft³/s (1.132 m³/s)
watershed = 39.3 mi² (101.79 km²)The Stillwater River is part of the Nashua River watershed. This river is part of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority system that supplies drinking water to the greater Boston area.

The Stillwater River heads in Princeton, Massachusetts, the watershed generally known as the Upper Worcester Plateau, or the Monadnock Upland. This watershed tops at Wachusett Mountain, the highest feature in the area. Water flows east of this area feed the Nashua River Watershed and water flows west of this area feed the Ware River Watershed or the Millers River. This river flows through portions of Sterling, Rutland, and Holden before entering the confluence of the Quinapoxet and Nashua Rivers at the Wachusett Reservoir.

The Stillwater and Quinapoxet Rivers are the two major tributaries to the Wachusett Reservoir. The Wachusett Reservoir serves as the primary source of water for 2.5 million consumers in 43 communities of central and eastern Massachusetts. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the DCR Department of Conservation and Recreation, operates stream-flow monitoring gages near the mouths of both rivers. This and other continuous monitoring serves to maintain the overall quality of water within the reservoir. The water of these tributaries to the Wachusett Reservoir has been of high quality for decades

About 47% of the Stillwater sub-basin is permanently protected open space. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority owns much of the land. The Town of Holden owns over 600 acres as the Trout Brook Conservation Area, and Massachusetts Audubon Society owns several hundred acres in the Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary in addition to other properties within this sub-basin.

References

* [http://ma.water.usgs.gov/projects/Stillwater/stillwater.htm Stillwater River information]
* [http://www.nashuariverwatershed.org/5yr_plan/subbasins/stillwater.htm Nashua River watershed, Stillwater River information]
* [http://ri.water.usgs.gov/projects/Stillwater/stillwater.htm Stream-flow gage at Sterling, MA]
* [http://home.manhattan.edu/~walter.matystik/wcb/2/files/boston.htm Court order and statement of facts about MWRA facilities]