LEE — Paddling a canoe or kayak down the Housatonic River segment running through Lee is about to get much easier, thanks to a new land acquisition.

The town recently purchased a 4-acre parcel of land along the river to be used as a canoe take-out area, giving rowers a place to more easily remove their boats from the water once their cruise along the section of the Housatonic passing through Lee has come to an end.

The take-out area will be located in South Lee, near where Meadow Street meets Pleasant Street. It will serve as a convenient location to exit the river for those traversing the roughly 4 1/2-mile segment of the river that begins at the existing boat launch near the Lee Athletic Field.

The Massachusetts River Alliance refers to this route as “Section D” of the Housatonic River, estimating it takes approximately two to three hours to paddle. It passes through various sections of conservation land that are home to a variety of wildlife, from blue herons and bald eagles to beavers and muskrats.

“I think this is one of the prettiest stretches of the river,” said Narain Schroeder of Tanager, the consulting firm that assisted Lee with applying for grant funding to purchase the land. The purchase was authorized by voters at annual town meeting last May, and officially acquired by the town in late December.

The land was purchased for $210,000, according to Schroeder and Town Administrator Chris Brittain; $100,000 in funding came from a Community Preservation Act grant, while an additional $100,000 came from the MassWildlife Department of Fish and Game in exchange for placing conservation restrictions on the land. Schroeder, along with the Housatonic Valley Association, supplied the remaining $10,000.

Upon learning that the previous private landowners had put the parcel up for sale, Schroeder immediately saw an opportunity.

“When I saw the sign out there, I said, ‘This is what we need,’” Schroeder said. Previously, he said, those looking to exit their canoes and kayaks had no official place to ground their boats. Now, he said he hopes that the take-out area will be ready in time for next spring for paddlers to safely exit the river at the end of their journey.

While known for its scenic views, the river has been the site of controversy in recent years. Construction will soon begin in Lee on a landfill designed to hold PCB-contaminated sediments removed from the Housatonic River, after General Electric Co. previously disposed of the chemicals in the river.

Peter Milanesi, land agent for the Department of Fish and Game, said he hopes the canoe take-out project will allow residents to “see the beauty of the river, not always the bad things.”

“I don’t think it's going to be intensely developed,” Milanesi said of the area. The main change that paddlers can expect is an “easier grade to get their canoe or kayak down,” as well as parking space and signage.

Because the land was purchased through a conservation grant, “It’s always going to be protected and always going to be open to the public,” he said.