By CINDY DOW, Staff Writer

03/21/02 LAKEVILLE - Betty's Neck is one step closer to being preserved forever now that the town has received a $5.4 million grant from the state's Aquifer Land Acquisition Program for the purchase and protection of the ecologically sensitive property.

Secretary of Environmental Affairs Bob Durand activated the program at the Department of Environmental Protection this year in response to the need to protect additional land around drinking water supplies.

"Protecting our drinking water aquifers is especially important during times of high growth and in times of drought, when the effects of pollution can be magnified because of a reduced supply of water," said Secretary Durand.

Chairman of Selectmen Gerry White explained that the town of Lakeville and the cities of New Bedford and Taunton, which get their drinking water from the Assawompsett Pond Complex, would have to come up with the remaining $3.6 million toward the $9 million purchase price. The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit conservation organization, has also kicked in with a $250,000 grant toward the project.

Mr. White estimated that Lakeville's share would be about $1.2 million, which it would have to get through a debt-exclusion override. Terms of the grant from the land acquisition program stipulate that the money must be used by June 30. Selectman Richard LaCamera said that means that the selectmen will have to call a special town meeting prior to the annual town meeting, which has been postponed to June 17, and a special election so that the override could be voted on in time to handle all the necessary paperwork.

Selectmen have met with the Mayor of New Bedford already, and plan to hold a joint meeting within the next couple of weeks with the Mayor of Taunton, Thaddeus Strojny.

Details of the grant application indicate that much more than the 483 acres of land that actually comprise Betty's Neck could end up being protected if the deal goes through.

Efforts by New Bedford and Taunton to protect their water supply have resulted in hundreds of acres of land around the lakes being purchased by the two cities, but right now there are no restrictions on that land. New Bedford has already agreed to put a conservation restriction on the 3 100 acres of land that it owns in Lakeville, Middleboro, Rochester, Freetown, New Bedford, Dartmouth, and Acushnet as part of this deal.

Taunton owns another 300 acres that could be restricted. The land would be used for watershed protection for drinking water supply, but would also allow for passive recreation managed by a Land Management Plan.

Recent changes in the public water supply regulations put the burden on the host town to protect the water supply. Assawompsett Pond has 2,444 acres of fresh water, and combines with Pocksha, Great Quittacas, Little Quittacas and Long Pond to supply water to nearly 200,000 residents in southeastern Massachusetts. The Betty's Neck property is the largest unprotected property, on Assawompsett Pond, containing more than two and a half miles of waterfront.