Nasketucket Bay State Reservation trails soon will receive a makeover.

At its meeting on Monday night, the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission cleared the way for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to undertake a number of improvements in the trail system of the 209-acre state park in western Mattapoisett.

According to Paul Cavanagh, regional planner at DCR, the state agency is looking to construct three bog bridges to help hikers better navigate the trails and protect the wetlands.

These bridges, to be made with pressure-treated wood, will be built by a field crew of the Student Conservation Association, a Massachusetts AmeriCorps program, said Cavanagh.

The agency also will install six trail signs, in particular along Shoreline Trail, where some people are veering off the trail and cutting across vegetation to get to the shore.

"There's a spot that it seems people use to party; there is a fire circle and there are lawn chairs there," he said. "We want to get the right signs in place to shut that down."

Other improvements include the addition of three benches at major trail intersections. These will be built using granite blocks that are vandalism resistant, Cavanagh said.

Lastly, the DCR is looking to remove vegetation that is damaging the foundation of the historic Souza home site. DCR requested permitting from the commission for this job but does not yet know when it will be able to acquire the necessary volunteer labor to get the work completed, Cavanagh said.

"We are just looking to stabilize it, we are not looking to do anything else, by cutting back vegetation from the cellar hole," he said.

Cavanagh said DCR is looking to begin the trail work by the end of May or early June.

The Conservation Committee approved the request under the condition that the town will be notified when work will begin, and with the requirement that DCR provides photos of all completed work.

In other news

The Conservation Commission OK'ed a notice of intent filed by the town's water and sewer department to replace 26 shallow municipal wells with three larger ones at Pump Station No. 2 off Acushnet Road.

"The wells are going to be abandoned, cut low to the ground and capped," said biologist Don Schall, who appeared before the board on Monday night with Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld and former superintendent, Nick Nicholson.

Affected wetlands would be replicated and the project still requires approval from the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program before any work takes place, according to Shall.

The project is expected to go out to bid at the end of July, with work to begin in late August or early September.