Senators Murray and Pacheco Protect Plymouth-Carver Aquifer
State’s Second Largest Aquifer Serves Seven Towns
May 25, 2007 (BOSTON, Mass.) -- The Nature Conservancy today congratulates Senator Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) and Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) for including $100,000 in the Senate FY08 budget to protect the Plymouth-Carver Sole Source Aquifer, a 199-square-mile underground resource that supplies drinking water to seven southeastern Massachusetts communities.
The funding – which is contingent upon final approval by both legislative branches – will be used to implement recommendations of a recently completed management plan created by the Plymouth-Carver Aquifer Advisory Committee (PCAAC). The funding will also allow the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) to provide technical assistance grants to help the Towns safeguard the aquifer by passing consistent bylaws and developing a regional open space plan.
Last year, Senators Murray and Pacheco supported the creation of the PCAAC, which is comprised of members from each Town within the Aquifer boundary: Bourne, Carver, Kingston, Middleborough, Plymouth, Plympton and Wareham. Working with a Coordinator from EOEEA, the Committee developed a regional plan with recommendations to protect the 500-billion gallon Aquifer. The plan – which will be presented to the Towns over the next several weeks – will help ensure the continued availability of clean and healthy drinking water for hundreds of thousands of area citizens.
"The Plymouth-Carver aquifer has been an invaluable resource to countless communities throughout the south shore,” said Senate President Murray. “With the tremendous growth our region is presently experiencing, it is more important than ever that we do everything in our power to protect it for future generations."
“I am pleased that the vital Plymouth-Carver Aquifer was protected in this year’s budget. The proper functioning of the aquifer is essential to providing citizens from the Southeast region, one of the fastest growing regions in Massachusetts, with clean drinking water,” said Senator Pacheco. “I am happy that I was able to play a small role in protecting the health of our region’s citizens.”
Senator Murray’s community of Plymouth is completely dependent upon the Aquifer for its drinking water. The other Aquifer towns also rely on this shared resource for their water supply.
With population projected to increase by more than 200,000 in the next 20 years, southeastern Massachusetts is the fastest growing region in the state. These historic New England towns are confronted with rapid development which, if not properly managed, threatens to permanently alter the unique Aquifer and other critical natural resources.
In response to the imminent need to protect the state’s second largest Aquifer, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in 2006 launched a $750,000 study of the vast resource. The study will yield an up to date groundwater flow model to help officials better predict and plan for impacts of development.
In addition to supplying drinking water to Plymouth area residents, the Plymouth-Carver Aquifer supports a rich natural environment that harbors dozens of globally rare and endangered species and several rare ecosystems, such as coastal plain ponds, Atlantic white cedar swamps, and Pine Barrens. It is also the source of water for coastal rivers such as the Jones, Wareham, Agawam, Wankinko, Red Brook, Eel, and Weweantic.
“The Plymouth-Carver Aquifer holds an enormous volume of clean groundwater and supports extraordinary ecological treasures,” said Wayne Klockner, State Director for The Nature Conservancy. “We thank the Legislature for taking the lead in protecting this immense and unique natural resource, and urge the Administration to also support this important initiative intended to safeguard the Plymouth region’s natural heritage and its wealth of clean drinking water for generations to come.”
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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