Approximately 50,000 people who live in the towns of Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton, and Sharon receive their drinking water from the Canoe River Aquifer. The remainder of the population draws its drinking water from other sources.
The Canoe River is 16 miles in length and provides recharge to the aquifers that make up the Canoe River sub watershed. It is located within the Taunton River Watershed.
The Canoe River Aquifer is a Sole Source Aquifer. A sole source aquifer is one that supplies at least fifty percent of the drinking water consumed in the area overlying the aquifer. In these communities, there are no alternative drinking water sources that could physically, legally, and economically supply all of those who depend upon the aquifer for drinking water.
The Canoe River Aquifer is also an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). An ACEC is an area containing highly significant environmental resources and has been designated by the Secretary of Environmental Affairs.
The Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee (CRAAC) was created in 1987. It was created to educate the public about the need to protect the Aquifer.