Although Acushnet doesn’t touch Buzzards Bay’s coastline directly, the entire town lies within the Buzzards Bay watershed. The Acushnet River flows through the town, which connects Acushnet to New Bedford Harbor and Buzzards Bay. Acushnet is 19 square miles in size, surrounded by the communities of New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Freetown. As of the 2010 Census, Acushnet was home to 10,303 residents.

Top Stories in Acushnet

BBC completes cleanup of Riverside Auto Junkyard on Acushnet River

Thanks to efforts led by the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the former auto salvage yard has been fully cleared of all junkyard waste and toxic pollution from half a century’s worth of industrial activity. 

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Safeguarding 436 acres for clean drinking water

Two key projects, one complete and one in progress, will preserve a total of 436 acres of land in the Mattapoisett River Valley and Dartmouth’s Paskamansett River Valley, protecting local public drinking water supplies. 

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Coalition celebrated with national award for coastal stewardship

The national Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) recently awarded the Buzzards Bay Coalition its 2021 Coastal Stewardship Award for the breadth and depth of its programs to protect and preserve Buzzards Bay.

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Upcoming Events in Acushnet

Buzzards Bay Swim – Registration Now Open!
Sat, June 22
6:30AM - 10:30AM
Fort Phoenix State Reservation,
Fairhaven
Falmouth Road Race
Sun, August 18
Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights,
Falmouth
Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride
Sun, October 06
Sakonnnet Point to Woods Hole,
Falmouth

Places To Go in Acushnet

The Sawmill

At the edge of New Bedford’s urban North End sits The Sawmill, a 19-acre former lumber yard on the Acushnet River.

LaPalme Farm

With nearly 50 acres of meadows and forests on the Acushnet River, LaPalme Farm celebrates Acushnet’s pastoral charm.

New Bedford Reservoir

Known by locals as "Lake Street," the New Bedford Reservoir in Acushnet is a peaceful destination for fishing and paddling.

Current Issues

Restoring Streams & Wetlands

The Coalition is working to restore damaged streams and wetlands in places like the Acushnet River, the Weweantic River, and the Mattapoisett River to protect clean water and improve the health of the Bay ecosystem so fish, wildlife, and people can thrive.

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Working to Save Buzzards Bay

The Buzzards Bay Coalition is a membership-supported organization dedicated to improving the health of the Buzzards Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research, and advocacy.

We work to protect clean water on the Bay and on the land: