The Arlington Reservoir (the Res) was built in the 1870's as part of a municipal water supply system, but has served since the 1890's as a recreational area for walking, swimming, fishing and boating. A perimeter path of almost a mile is enjoyed by walkers, joggers and bird watchers throughout the year. The Reservoir is located on the border between Arlington and Lexington (see map).
Committee Meetings and Events
The Reservoir Committee meetings are via Zoom on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm. To obtain a reservation, use the contact form. Work sessions, at the Habitat Garden, are usually the Saturday following the monthly meeting.
Upcoming Reservoir Committee events.
| Sept 14 | Sat | Arlington Town Day | |
| Sept 24 | Tues | 7:30 PM | Res. Committee meeting |
| Sept 28 | Sat | 9 AM | Res. garden work day |
| Oct 15 | Tues | 9 AM | Res. Committee meeting |
Link to complete reservoir calendar
Thursday night concerts and beer garden at the Res. Thursday night concerts, beer garden and food venders are sponsored by the Arlington Recreation Department. For further information visit the Rec. Dept. website.
Join the Reservoir email list. If you don't have a Google account, you can send email to the list using this address.
If you find any dead links or other errors on this site please report them using the contact form linked above.
Reservoir Beach
The Reservoir Beach includes a filtered/chlorinated swimming area, bathhouse, concession stand, parking lot, ADA accessible paths, playground and picnic pavilion. For more information, see the Reservoir Beach page on the Arlington Town Website.
Habitat Garden
The habitat garden is planted with native shrubs, grasses and wildflowers that provide shelter and food for a wide variety of wildlife, including rabbits, turtles, toads, birds, butterflies bees, dragon flies and many other species.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Habitat Garden is managed by volunteers and all are welcome to join us. There are also opportunities throughout the year for invasive plant removal, both on land and in the water, as well as educational events.
Fishing and Boating
The Reservoir is a popular fishing area and there are a number of fishing spots along the shore. The most common fish are large mouth bass, chain pickerel, and black crappie. For those with row boats, canoes & kayaks there is a boat ramp adjacent to the Lowell St. parking lot.
Birding and Walking
An accessible perimeter path of about a mile allows easy walking along the entire shoreline and gets much use.
The Arlington Reservoir is an important migratory area for many waterbirds, and the surrounding uplands provide fair to good habitat for songbirds. Nearly 150 species of birds have been seen in the immediate area. The habitat is probably the "wildest" in the local area and its diversity attracts many birds the year around.
History
The Reservoir was constructed in the early 1870s to supply Arlington’s municipal water system. However, the Reservoir has not been used for public drinking water since the Town joined the MWRA, yet the name “reservoir” remains in use. It was essentially ignored for years and parts were used as a dump. Now it is an attractive multi-use natural recreation area.