Patrick Administration Awards $2 Million
To Protect Land Near Public Drinking Water Supplies
Funding Will Help Protect More Than 480 Acres in Seven Communities

Nine grants worth $2 million announced today by Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles and Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commissioner Laurie Burt will protect more than 480 acres of land vital to safeguarding the quality of public wells and reservoirs.

Communities receiving the grants are Barnstable, Fitchburg, Hudson, Mattapoisett, Pembroke, Springfield, and Worcester.

The grants, known as Drinking Water Supply Protection Grants, aim to help municipalities and water suppliers acquire land that protects public drinking water resources. Land acquired through the program is open to the general public for recreational use and declared as protected open space for drinking water supply protection purposes under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution.

"An abundant supply of clean water is one of our most precious resources. Conserving parcels of open land is vital to protecting many of our drinking water supplies," Secretary Bowles said. "This partnership between the Patrick Administration and local communities will ensure that residents have a safe and clean water supply today and into the future."

The state funding for this grant round comes from the environmental bond bill passed by lawmakers in 2008. Since the grant program's inception in 2005, the Commonwealth has invested more than $11.8 million through the program to help protect 2,655 acres of land.

"MassDEP works with communities and water districts to implement a comprehensive approach to safeguard drinking water sources," Commissioner Burt said. "These grants help to protect vulnerable water supply lands through direct acquisition or the adoption of conservation restrictions, ultimately preventing contamination of these sensitive areas."

The EEA/MassDEP Drinking Water Supply Protection Grants are awarded through a competitive process, and cover up to half (but not more than $500,000) of total project costs. Local partners provide the balance of funding.

The 2009 Drinking Water Supply Protection Grant recipients are:

Town of Pembroke - Andruck Property Project: $405,750
* This 43.5-acre acquisition will retire an active cranberry bog, whose operation poses ongoing water quality threats due to fertilizer and pesticide use. This will add to the protection for three of Pembroke's drinking water wells, and for two surface water supplies that serve Abington, Rockland and Brockton. It will also link more than 250 acres of existing open space.

City of Fitchburg - Fitchburg Reservoir Project - Rice Parcel: $142,250
* This effort would place 50 acres of land in Ashby and Ashburnham under a conservation restriction, and enhance water quality protection of the Fitchburg and Shattuck reservoirs.

City of Fitchburg - Fitchburg Reservoir Project - Crocker Parcel: $389,925
* This project will place 120 acres under a conservation restriction, and this parcel is adjacent to the Rice Parcel. Collectively, the two Fitchburg projects nearly encompass a tributary pond, and connect to more than 250 acres of protected open space.

Town of Hudson - Cranberry Well Project: $27,750
* This project proposes to acquire 20 acres of land in and around Hudson's public drinking water wells, which is on top of a high-yield aquifer. This land links to more than 250 acres of protected open space.

Springfield Water and Sewer Commission - Weidhaas Property Project: $97,550
* This project proposes to place 95 acres in Russell under a conservation restriction, protecting the headwaters of the Intake Reservoir in the Little River Gorge. The reservoir is part of a system serving more than 250,000 people in East Longmeadow, West Springfield, Springfield, Agawam and Ludlow. This property is the final link in the protection of more than 1,600 acres of protected land.

Springfield Water and Sewer Commission - Ripley Property Project: $138,450
* This project proposes to place 80 acres in Granville under a conservation restriction, enhancing drinking water quality protection of the Cobble Mountain and Borden Brook reservoirs. The reservoirs serve residents in five communities and are the supplemental water source for five other communities.

Barnstable Fire District - Pine Lane Woodlands Project: $357,813
* The acquisition will eliminate the development of a 16-lot subdivision in the water supply protection area of a drinking water well in Barnstable. This 17-acre project abuts 45 acres of existing protected land, and will connect a segment of walking trails.

Town of Mattapoisett - Rounseville Land Project: $230,312
* This project would acquire 29 acres of land located in the Mattapoisett River Valley. It will enhance drinking water protection for 10 wells serving the communities of Mattapoisett, Marion and Fairhaven, and will link over 100 acres of existing protected land.

City of Worcester - Quinapoxet Reservoir Project: $210,200
* This project proposes to acquire 30 acres in Princeton within the watershed of the Quinapoxet Reservoir.

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