Protecting Drinking Water Supplies in The Watershed

TRWA and the Taunton River Watershed Campaign support the protection of our rivers, wetlands and critical watershed lands. State funds are available to help municipalities protect both surface water and groundwater drinking water sources. We applaud the following communities for their SUCCESSFUL applications for state assistance to protect these sources:

The state's drinking water protection grant program offered $1,152,000 to the cities of Taunton and New Bedford and the town of Middleborough for a joint project to protect critical watershed lands on the east side of Assawompsett Pond.   While Taunton has since determined that it is unable to proceed with its share of the project, The Nature Conservancy continues to assist  the other two communities in completing conservation restrictions on 215 acres of land along Black Brook, a key source of freshwater for the Assawompsett Pond Complex, which provides drinking water to 175,000 citizens.  In concert with these pending transactions, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife purchased 231 acres along Black Brook from longtime owner Ed Parks earlier this year. The Nature Conservancy helped the communities submit their applications and continues to facilitate this important conservation work.

The Town of Carver received two state grants to purchase the 241-acre Cole property, which has extensive wetlands and BioMap Core Habitat. Carver recieved Self Help funds to purchase about half of the property for open space; and $500,000 in Drinking Water protection funds for a future public well site. Carver will also be able to make use of funds made possible by the voters' approval of the Community Preservation Act earlier this year. Mass Audubon has assisted the town to plan for this innovative combination approach to open space and wellhead protection.

For more information on the state Drinking Water Supply Protection grants, see the DEP webpage.

If your community water system intends to apply for state grants, Watershed Campaign organizations are available for help and letters of support. Please contact us for more information.

For another example of how watershed protection goals can be combined with community open space protection, please see the case study on the earlier joint project to conserve Betty's Neck. A slide presentation on the partnerships which made possible these significant conservation purchases is now available for download.