Tully Lake, of

Royalston, Massachusetts Royalston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,250 at the 2020 census. History Royalston is a small town in the North Quabbin area of northwestern-central Massachusetts. It was named after Isaac ...

, is a reservoir and

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

project constructed by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

(USACE) in 1949 for 1.6 million dollars. The project prevents flooding of the greater

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

and

Millers River The Millers River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in northern Massachusetts, originating in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, Ashburnham and joining ...

valleys and provides a variety of recreational opportunities, including a campground operated by

The Trustees of Reservations ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

. Tully Lake is an important link in the

Tully Trail The Tully Trail is a scenic loop trail located in the towns of Royalston, Orange, and Warwick, Massachusetts near the New Hampshire border. The route crosses several ledges with sweeping views of the surrounding rural countryside and passes ...

Flood control

As of 2007, the USACE reported that Tully Lake had prevented an estimated $26 million in flood damages. The dam's capacity is of water; it can contain 7.72 inches of rainfall runoff and has a downstream channel capacity of . The closest the lake has come to capacity was in 1987, when it rose to 62%.

Recreation

Tully Lake is open to fishing, small boats, hiking, cross country skiing, mountain biking, picnicking, hunting (in season), and swimming. Motor vehicles are not allowed on the property. The USACE maintains a disc golf course, a mountain bike trail, and a picnic area. The Trustees of Reservations, a non-profit conservation organization, operates a 35 site tent-only camping facility on Tully Lake, open seasonally. The Tully Trail, a recreational trail cooperatively managed by the USACE, TTOR, the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, and the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, runs along the northern shore of Tully Lake. The trail passes by

Doane's Falls Doane's Falls is a series of five waterfalls located in Royalston, Massachusetts along an section of Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Millers River that originates from Laurel Lake in Fitzwilliam. The falls are part of a open space preser ...

, Jacobs Hill, and Royalston Falls, and traverses the summit of

Tully Mountain Tully Mountain, , is a prominent, steep-sided monadnock located in north central Massachusetts in the town of Orange. It is part of the Tully Mountain Wilderness Management Area. An exposed east facing ledge on the summit provides views of t ...

Flood control

Recreation

References

External links