Plymouth
Plymouth is a coastal town located in the southeastern part of Massachusetts, United States. Plymouth’s water resources are very important to the town’s character and its future. Plymouth residents get 100% of their drinking water from the Plymouth-Carver aquifer, via public supply wells, private wells, or private water systems. Water is also very important for Plymouth’s natural environment, as 28% of the town’s area is open freshwater, it has 36 miles of coastline and 450 ponds.
Unfortunately, Plymouth’s water resources could be facing a threat in the future. Aging infrastructure and poor planning decisions have given rise to a water crisis in the western Plymouth pumping zone. The Town has developed a draft water conservation plan, but the Town has not implemented it yet. The Town also suffers from poor enforcement of water use restrictions in the summer. Plymouth is the fastest growing town in the state; the time for water conservation is now.
Plymouth has also experienced egregious sand mining and earth removal in the town, and is at the epicenter of the global sand mining industry.
Plymouth is also the location of the National Day of Mourning, which is held at noon at Cole’s Hill on Thanksgiving Day each year, to remember the genocide of millions of Indigenous people, the theft of Indigenous lands and the erasure of Indigenous cultures. It is also a day to celebrate the resilience of Indigenous people.
Issues in Plymouth:
Water Supply and the Secret Water Deal
Sand and Gravel Mining
How to Get Involved:
Attend Plymouth’s Conservation Commission meetings, every Tuesday night at 7:00 pm via Zoom, and make a statement during the Public Comment period about the issues that concern you
Read The Case for Water Conservation in Plymouth: A Water Conservation Planning Framework