Approximately 240 acres of land located on Long Plain Road in Mattapoisett provides drinking water for Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester and Fairhaven.

And according to Vice President of Watershed Protection Brendan Annett, protecting this land that sprawls across Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Acushnet is vital for municipal water supply. 

“It is that aquifer deposit that's so important as a water resource for drinking,” said Annett. “Protecting the land protects that water because the forests and fields and the soils underneath —those actually filter out that water as it goes down into the ground.”

Annett said that forest land is vulnerable to being sold for development. 

“Development adds potential for pollution,” he said. 

The total cost to acquire and protect the land is $6,060,000 according to Annett.

 According to Annett, each of the five towns plan to contribute approximately $85,000 funds for the project if passed at their respective Town Meetings. 

Both Marion and Mattapoisett will have an option to vote on using Community Preservation Funds to protect the land during their Town Meetings on Monday, May 8.

Annett said that because the Town of Rochester does not have a Community Preservation Fund that the funds will come from a grant they secured for the project.

Already, the project has secured $4,500,000 from the state , $1,000,000 from the Buzzards Bay Coalition and $150,000 from the Mattapoisett River Valley Watershed Protection Advisory Committee. 

The land will be purchased from Dennis Mahoney & Sons, INC for $5,980,000 if the remaining needed funds are committed at the upcoming town meetings , according to Annett. An additional $80,000 is needed for appraisals, surveys, environmental assessments and other anticipated project costs.

According to Annett, ownership of the land will be split between the Mattapoisett Water Department and the Buzzards Bay Coalition. 

“Each of the towns will hold a permanent conservation restriction over the parcel,” he said. 

Protecting the land will not only secure clean drinking water for the towns but will also provide public access for outdoor recreation. 

Annett said that the land is currently still considered private property. 

Over the course of 20 years, the Buzzards Bay Coalition and towns have worked together to protect about 2,000 acres of land according to Annett. 

“This is one of the sort of largest and most important locations of non-protected property,” he said.