Town Meeting voters on Tuesday approved the use of $430,000 of Community Preservation funding to allow the Community Preservation Committee to purchase just under 20 acres of land on the Weweantic River for conservation purposes.

The town approved $375,000 for a similar land-purchase nearby last year, but after state grant funding fell through, the Community Preservation Committee did not purchase the land. Town Meeting rescinded last year's vote and the committee will now use the $375,000 toward this year's purchase.

The town will permanently own the land but a conservation restriction, which places limitations on development, will be held by the Wareham Land Trust and the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

Selectman Ellen Begley asked during the meeting whether there was any toxicity in the land, to which David Pichette, Conservation Agent for Wareham, replied that an environmental study was performed and found no contamination in the land.

The 19.69 acres are flanked by the Weweantic River and Horseshoe Pond on the east and Blackmore Pond Road on the west. A parking lot and a trailhead will also be created to facilitate access to the space.

In the presentation before the meeting, Jesse Ferreira, land acquisition specialist with the Wareham Land Trust, said that conserving the land would help protect the Weweantic River water quality as well as provide an outdoor recreational space for visitors in addition to many more benefits.