At first glance, SD828 \u2014 the Quabbin Equity legislation \u2014 sounds like a well-intentioned effort to support Massachusetts towns surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir. But a closer look reveals deep concerns about balance, responsibility, and sustainability \u2014 concerns that the MWRA Advisory Board outlined in a recent letter to the MWRA Board of Directors. The Advisory Board voted overwhelmingly at its March 20, 2025, meeting to oppose this bill and has formally asked the MWRA Board of Directors to consider the issue at its next meeting.<\/p>\n
At its core, fairness is about three things: balance<\/strong>, responsibility<\/strong>, and sustainability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n These values mirror the roles of the three key players in our water system:<\/p>\n Since 1985, MWRA ratepayers have contributed over $850 million to preserve and protect the watersheds<\/strong> \u2014 including more than $200 million in direct payments<\/strong> to the Quabbin host communities. These include Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) contributions paid at each town\u2019s highest tax rate, plus a “hold harmless” clause that ensures no annual payment drops below the previous year.<\/p>\n The proposed legislation would impose an additional $35 million annually<\/strong> on ratepayers, pushing water assessments up by nearly 14% in the first year and <\/strong>triggering the first double-digit rate increase in over a decade<\/strong>. This would be on top of the already generous and stable funding structure that has been in place for four decades.<\/p>\n The Quabbin host communities have already been recognized and continue to be supported. Fairness means knowing when an obligation has been met \u2014 not transforming a historic agreement into an open-ended entitlement.<\/p>\n Some argue that proximity to the reservoir makes the host communities its natural stewards. But true stewardship is about active management<\/strong>, not geography.<\/p>\n That role belongs to the Division of Water Supply Protection (DWSP)<\/strong>, whose mission is to preserve the watershed and safeguard drinking water for over 3 million people. DWSP:<\/p>\n Meanwhile, MWRA and its ratepayers supply the funding that makes DWSP\u2019s work possible and ensure PILOT payments continue year after year. Stewardship is not about being nearby \u2014 it’s about doing the work.<\/p>\n The revised version of this bill replaces a per-gallon water tax with something even more troubling: a mandatory $35 million annual transfer<\/strong> to a new Quabbin Host Community Trust Fund, with no sunset clause and escalating costs each year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It also attempts to undo a long-standing legal precedent by requiring PILOT payments for submerged land \u2014 land traditionally excluded under Massachusetts law. This change could cost MWRA ratepayers millions more annually<\/strong> and disrupt the state\u2019s entire PILOT system.<\/p>\n Add in the expansion of a water service feasibility study from 12 communities adjacent to the Quabbin to over 70 communities<\/strong>, and it\u2019s clear this legislation asks too much, too fast, with too little justification. The MWRA is not an economic development agency. And ratepayers should not be footing the bill for a study that strays so far outside the MWRA\u2019s core mission to the tune of approximately $2.5 million.<\/p>\n This is not a question of whether Quabbin host communities deserve recognition. They do. And for decades, MWRA ratepayers have acknowledged that through generous and sustained support.<\/p>\n But fairness isn\u2019t a blank check.<\/strong> It isn\u2019t one-sided. And it isn\u2019t sustainable if it undermines the very system it claims to support.<\/p>\n At its March meeting, the MWRA Advisory Board approved a letter to the MWRA Board of Directors urging them to join in opposition to SD828. We believe this legislation would severely impact our ability to keep rates affordable, maintain good governance, and sustain a working partnership with host communities that has already achieved much.<\/p>\n\n
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BALANCE \u2014 Recognizing What Has Been Given and What Is Being Asked<\/strong><\/h4>\n
RESPONSIBILITY \u2014 Who Is the True Steward of the Watershed?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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SUSTAINABILITY \u2014 Preventing Open-Ended Financial Obligations<\/strong><\/h4>\n
A Call for Measured, Responsible Action<\/strong><\/h4>\n