Two families enjoyed an early evening hike on the newly acquired Acton Water District (AWD) land located at 549 Main Street on Thursday, June 28. AWD District Manager Matt Mostoller and AWD Environmental Manager Alex Wahlstrom organized the Public Access Preview event for abutters to the property.
Mostoller provided an overview of the project’s history for attendees before leading them onto the property via a connection with the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. The purchase of the fifty-seven acre parcel was approved by voters at the district’s Annual Meeting in March, 2023, at a below-market price from the Conant family. The Town of Acton contributed $1 million in Community Preservation Act funding, approved by voters at Town Meeting in May of last year, to cover the cost of the Conservation Restriction (CR). Acton’s Conservation Commission and Sudbury Valley Trustees are the holders of the CR which was just approved last month by the Select Board. The water district also received funding from the state: $500,000 from the Drinking Water Supply Protection Program and a $1.5 million Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Action Grant. The remaining $1.9 million will be paid by the district’s customers, about 95% of the water users in Acton. Just before stepping off the rail trail and onto the Isaac Davis Trail, Mostoller noted that the existing private property sign will be removed, to be replaced by a welcoming sign featuring details about the project, including a trail map, funding sources and rules.
The four benefits of the land, according to Mostoller, are the connections made to existing recreation and conservation assets, water supply source protection, recreational opportunities, and climate resiliency. In addition to the work of the forested land that cleans water as the aquifer below ground is recharged by rain and snow melt, new bedrock wells will be sited on the property. Construction will begin later this summer. These wells will be about 600 feet deep, much deeper than the existing wells in Acton, which are between 30-70 feet. Tests indicate that the district will be able to pump 0.27 million gallons per day from these wells. Mostoller noted that, “As summers are getting hotter and winters become milder, our water system is more susceptible to these impacts of climate change. The aim of this project is to help diversify the water supply and get us through times of drought, and improve water quality in this part of town.” Additionally, the land, now permanently protected from development, can continue to provide natural services such as cooling, flood control, and erosion control.
Since the property is now protected as a water supply source, domesticated animals (including dogs and horses), motorized vehicles (including e-bikes and boats), picnicking, fires, and camping are all prohibited. Passive recreation such as hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing on the trails are all encouraged.
Brewster Conant, Jr. accompanied district staff for the preview hike. He shared that the land had been in the Conant family since 1793. It was originally a land grant from the Town of Concord to the John Davis family, and the Conants married into the Davis family. Prior to the purchase of the property by the district, public access was limited to 2 days per year when the Isaac Davis Trail was opened so that the Acton Minutemen, Acton Boy Scout troops, and other residents could follow the Line of March that Captain Davis and his soldiers took to Concord in the early morning hours of April 19, 1775, for Patriots’ Day events. Brewster Conant, Sr. granted this easement in 1964.
Alissa Nicol is a community events reporter for the Acton Exchange, as well as a member of the Select Board.
