Any water or aqueduct company which is limited by its charter or by any other special law as to the amount of real estate which it may acquire and hold may apply to the department of telecommunications and energy for authority to acquire and hold real estate in excess of the amount so limited, and said department may grant such authority if it shall find that such additional real estate is necessary or convenient for such company in carrying out the purposes of its organization and that the acquisition and holding thereof will not be contrary to the public interest.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 165, § 28