Worcester eyes 48 acres in Princeton for watershed protection

Worcester is looking to acquire more than 48 acres of land in Princeton for $180,000 to protect its water supply. 

City Manager Edward Augustus will ask the City Council to approve the land taking at its Tuesday meeting. The city has the full cooperation from the Viner family, the owners of the land, Augustus said.

The land includes more than 1,100 feet of frontage on Cobb Brook and wetlands that are tributary to the Quinapoxet River, which ultimately contribute to the Worcester Reservoir and the city’s water supply. 

The acquisitions prevents development of the land and assures the long-term viability of the land as a water source. 

The transaction will cost the city $360,000, but Worcester will be reimbursed $180,000 via a Drinking Water Supply Protection Grant through the state Department of Environmental Protection.

In 2016, the city implemented guidelines for businesses in an attempt to restrict water usage during a severe drought, including limiting the serving of tap water and prohibiting most outdoor water use. 

In correspondence to Augustus, Commissioner of Public Works Paul Moosey said the transaction ups the city’s total acres owned for water source protection up to 8,281, or about 32 percent of the entire water supply watershed.