The Town of Dighton abuts Somerset to the north and has a land area of 22 square miles and a population of 7,968. Dighton is bordered by Rehoboth to the west, Berkley to the east, Taunton to the north and Swansea to the southwest. The Town is served by the Dighton Water District which receives water from 5 active gravel-packed wells in the town. The District has emergency connections to Somerset and the City of Taunton, but the Taunton tie-in is only used during extreme emergencies, such as hurricanes and blizzards, and requires permission from the Taunton Water Department. The wells from the Dighton Water District are within two Zone II wellhead protection areas and an IWPA. The Zone II area for the Walker Street wells extends into the Town of Taunton and the Zone II for the Cedar Street wells extends into the Town of Swansea. Each of the wells has a Zone I diameter of 400 feet. These wells are located in an aquifer highly vulnerable to contamination due to the absence of hydrogeological barriers, such as clay, that prevent contaminant migration. The well supply in Dighton is inadequate to meet current demand. Using emergency water use records from the City of Taunton, Dighton’s deficit has grown gradually from a baseline of 160 gpm to 293 gpm in 2020. A 2001 report of the Dighton Water District recommended increasing water supply capacity by identifying a new source within the Cedar Street aquifer or at another Town location.