Yarmouth is about to buy 10 acres from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River. Why?
YARMOUTH — Officials are putting the finishing touches on a deal that would transfer 10 acres of land from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River to the town of Yarmouth.
The $1,075,000 purchase and sale agreement for ten lots on Higgins Crowell Road was approved by the Select Board on Oct. 17.
The parcel had been approved for subdivision into 10 individual house lots. According to Town Administrator Robert Whritenour Jr., the land is important because it lies within 1,000 feet of the town’s municipal well #24. Towns are required to own a 400-foot radius around public wells, but a well’s zone of contribution is considered to include a 1,000-foot radius, he said.
"We all know septic systems have the potential to impact public water supply wells," Whritenour said. “This purchase is part of the town’s effort to safeguard the public water supply in a very meaningful way."
On June 21, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued regulations addressing nitrogen pollution caused by septic systems on Cape Cod. The new rules go into effect on July 7 and will affect most Cape Cod towns.
About 126,000 parcels on the Cape have on-site septic systems. Only 1,937 parcels have innovative or alternative septic systems that filter out nitrogen. About 7,000 parcels are connected to public or private sewer systems.
The Cape's sandy soil absorbs nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater released by septic systems, allowing them to enter nearby waters more easily.
Select Board member Mark Forest called the Higgins Crowell corridor one of the most important in Yarmouth.
It is a critical part of the watershed, he said, and vital to the water supply in West Yarmouth. Yarmouth has 24 municipal water supply wells that draw from either the Sagamore Lens or the Monomoy Lens, according to the town's website. Three pump stations are located along Higgins Crowell Road.
The land sits across from Chickadee Lane and the Marguerite Small Elementary School.
Money for the purchase is in place, Whritenour said, adding that it is coming from a combination of sources: $600,000 in Community Preservation funds, $375,000 from a Department of Environmental Protection grant and $100,000 from the water department’s capital fund.
Forest said the Select Board has been “dogged” in their attempts to acquire the property from when it first went on the market. As soon as the sign went up, the board started talking about it, he said.
“We’ve been working with the Diocese of Fall River and they’ve been a willing partner to work with,” Whritenour said. “To put together projects with a town sometimes has a lot of complications. It all came together.”
The town is in the final stages of putting together the closing documents. It’s expected the sale will be finalized by mid-December. The property is appraised for $1.5 million, according to the town assessor's office.
The 10-acre parcel is one of six other Yarmouth properties owned by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Fall River and listed on the assessor's website. The appraised value of the properties is more than $19 million.
Denise Coffey writes about business and tourism primarily. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 10-acre land purchase part of Yarmouth's watershed protection plan
