The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority owns the Sudbury Aqueduct, which still serves as a backup link in the water supply system for metropolitan Boston. The MWRA is now allowing cities and towns along the way to officially “open” the Sudbury for walking along its crest—allowing the Newton section of the aqueduct to connect to segments of the aqueduct leading all the way to Framingham.
Already, almost every community to the west of Newton has signed on to permit walking on top of the Sudbury.
Walkers have used the Sudbury in Newton for decades, but such use has never been legal, as indicated by the “No Trespassing” signs at several locations. It’s time to make the walking legal.
The MWRA program is free, and requires only that the City apply for an official permit. In return, the “No Trespassing” signs would fall, the gates would be opened, and the MWRA would sponsor historic informational signs and a granite wayfinding marker.
The Newton Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force is circulating a petition urging Mayor Ruthanne Fuller to request that the MWRA grant a permit for pedestrian use of the segment of the aqueduct between Route 9 and the MBTA Green Line tracks.
Please lend your support to this effort by signing this online petition.
For more information on opening up the aqueducts, please see this article from the Summer 2015 Newsletter.
Walks along the aqueducts are described on this page.
More information about the Sudbury and Cochituate Aqueducts is here.
The MWRA website has information about the project to open up the aqueducts for public use.
To get in touch with advocates of the aqueduct, contact the Newton Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force:
Phone: 617-378-8972
Email: newtonbikeped@gmail.com
Web: www.newtonbikeped.org
