Reservoir Control Center Overview

As a flood situation develops, considerable judgment and experience are required to efficiently manage Corps dams and reservoirs. Weather conditions, reservoir storage capacities and the flood levels of rivers are important factors when operating dams that maximize the protection of downstream communities and minimize flood damage. The nature of New England weather requires the region’s dams and reservoirs be professionally managed by trained engineers and hydrologists. These skilled professionals, using sophisticated communications equipment, form an integral part of the Corps’ flood control efforts known as the Reservoir Control Center (RCC).

The RCC is located at the Corps’ New England headquarters in Concord, Massachusetts. From this site, Corps engineers closely monitor precipitation, river levels, and tidal levels in New England. The state‑of‑the‑art communications equipment used by RCC personnel is complemented by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) System which serves as a communication link for the relay of hydrologic and meteorological data. Information from about 50 data collection platforms at key locations along rivers, streams and other bodies of water is relayed to a satellite, which transmits this data by radio signal to the RCC. Engineers then examine and analyze this hydrologic information for potential flood conditions and use this data to determine when to operate the flood control gates and when to release stored floodwaters from reservoirs once downstream flood conditions have receded. During flood emergency periods, additional information is obtained by telephone, teletype, and radio from field personnel and other agencies, such as the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Reservoir Control Center has helped minimize or prevent severe and damaging floods in many New England communities. The Corps is proud of its commitment to provide the public. with improved flood protection through the professional management of its dams and hurricane protection barriers.

New England District has been an innovative leader in the use of non‑structural solutions for flooding problems. The Charles River Natural Valley Storage Project provides a novel approach to flood protection in parts of Boston and Cambridge by retaining flood flows on 8,100 acres of wetland areas acquired by the government at a cost of $9 million. In Warwick, Rhode Island, flood‑prone properties were acquired, removed or modified to withstand high water events with the federal government underwriting 80% of the cost. In these times of environmental concern and building restrictions, non‑structural flood protection projects have the potential to protect life and property with minimal adverse environmental impacts.