Selectmen approved a request that will bring Wareham water to businesses and homes along the Route 28 corridor.

The move is latest step in a Wareham Fire District Water Department plan to sell water to other towns.

Wareham Water Department Superintendent Michael Martin said that the project has been in the works for over five years.

"It's a great example of two separate government agencies working together for economic development," Martin said.

Wareham and Rochester signed an inter-municipal agreement in 2011 allowing Wareham water to be sold out of district.

Martin said a 12-inch wide water main extension will provide fire protection to both the ABC Disposal facility and the SEMASS energy facility in Rochester.

In 2007, a fire ravaged the SEMASS facility for 24 hours because the hydrant the fire department was using ran out of water so the department had to truck in water from the surrounding areas.

The cost of the installation and maintenance of the pipe will be borne by the businesses that use the water and will provide a new revenue stream for the district.

"Over time it could become a couple of percentage points of additional revenue," Martin said.

He also said the new water main was planned with the future of that area in mind.

The parcel of land adjacent to the intersection of routes 58 and 28 is owned by A.D Makepeace and is the proposed site of the Rochester Crossroads retail center. Martin said if the property was developed at some point, this new pipe would serve as the secondary or back up feed for it.

"When we expand we think of the immediate need and the potential need in the area," Martin said.

According to Martin, construction on the project is ready to begin once the developer is ready and he hopes work will begin this year.