On March 14, SELT completed the permanent protection of the Harland W. Eaton Conservation Easement and the Manchester Water Works Conservation Easement in Auburn. These two parcels fit together as key pieces of the watershed puzzle that safeguards the water quality of Lake Massabesic, a source of drinking water for Manchester and its surrounding towns.
Taken together, these two properties total over 194 acres and slot into an existing 4,300-acre block of water supply lands, which are owned and managed by Manchester Water Works.
“The Manchester Water Works is excited to protect this forestland in the Lake Massabesic Watershed along Preston Brook in Auburn,” said John O’Neil, Watershed Land and Property Manager for Manchester Water Works. “This forest block would have been prime for housing development which would have been a source of nutrient loading contributing to possible harmful cyanobacteria blooms. Instead, these properties will help filter runoff and help ensure the purity of Lake Massabesic, the state of NH’s largest public drinking water supply, for generations to come.”
“This project represents a valuable conservation easement protecting Auburn’s scenic character as well as the water quality of Massabesic Lake,” said Jeff Porter, Chairman of the Auburn Conservation Commission. “The Conservation Commission is grateful for the partnerships that were struck with SELT, the Eaton Trust, and Manchester Water Works to connect and conserve these two large parcels.”
Due to the importance of this area to public drinking water supply, the NH Department of Environmental Services Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund contributed $500,000 to the project and an additional $25,000 came from the Local Source Water Protection Funds. The Town of Auburn contributed $488,500 to the project and played a key role in seeing this project to the finish line. Additional funding for the project was provided by the Merrimack Conservation Partnership, a public/private effort for land conservation in the Merrimack River Watershed. To learn more, visit merrimackconservationpartnership.org.
“This project is a testament to the power of collaboration, bringing together multiple agencies and partners to work toward the common goal of protecting these irreplaceable water supply lands,” says Kaitlin Deyo, Conservation Project Manager for SELT. “We are deeply grateful to the Eaton Family, Manchester Water Works, and all our funding partners for their unwavering support in advancing conservation in this region.”