The East Branch of the River originates north of Bickford Pond in Westminster, near the adjoining town of Princeton.

Large sections of the Ware River Watershed are owned and/or maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation including 22,000 acres in the vicinity of the dam.

In 1928 the building of a 12.5-mile-long (20.1 km) aqueduct connecting the Ware River to the Wachusett Reservoir commenced a major public works undertaking.

Designed and constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, this dam substantially reduces flooding along the Ware, Chicopee, and Connecticut rivers.

The flood storage area for the project, which is normally empty, stores floodwaters and covers about 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) in the towns of Barre, Hubbardston, Rutland, and Oakham.

The Barre Falls Dam can store up to 7.82 billion US gallons (29,600,000 m3) of water for flood control purposes.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (MDCR) manages and preserves the land for water quality protection.