Quabbin Delegation Urges Rejection of MWRA’s 20-Million-Gallon Quabbin Application

 BOSTON — State Representative Aaron Saunders, State Senator Jo Comerford State, State Representative Susannah Whipps, and State Senator Jake Oliveira are urging the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission to reject the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s application for advance approval to withdraw an additional 20 million gallons of water per day from the Quabbin Reservoir system.

 The lawmakers submitted a joint letter to the Commission ahead of its September 30 meeting in Belchertown. The letter argues that the MWRA’s application fails to meet fundamental standards of the law, including identifying the communities that would receive the water, the quantity intended for each community, and the demonstrated demand supporting the proposed 20-million-gallon increase.

“Applying for only half of the transfer undermines the very purpose of the law to protect places like the Quabbin from serving as open-ended water banks” said Representative Saunders, "The Commission has the authority, ability, and the obligation to reject this application." 

The Interbasin Transfer Act requires the Commission to evaluate proposed transfers between a donor basin and a receiving area, regardless of whether the administrative proceeding is separated. That process considers
whether the receiving community has a demonstrated need, has reasonably investigated its own viable water sources, and has adopted appropriate water-conservation measures.

The delegation argues that those protections cannot be meaningfully applied when the proposed receiving communities, quantities, infrastructure, and schedules remain undefined.

The MWRA has asked the Commission to use a “bifurcated” process that would separate the administrative review of the Quabbin as a donor basin to supply additional water from the review of individual communities seeking to receive it. According to the delegation’s review of the Commission’s published record, the bifurcated procedure has not previously been used to approve an interbasin transfer. The requested 20-million-gallon increase would also be more than three times the largest drinking-water transfer approved during the past 20 years and appears to be the largest drinking-water transfer authorization considered since the Interbasin Transfer Act was enacted in 1983.

“Quabbin water is one of our most precious public resources, and the Commonwealth has a duty to both protect the Reservoir with care and foresight as well as to consider the water needs of all 351 municipalities,” said Senator Comerford. “This request comes during a period of drought and without consideration for the clean water future of western Massachusetts. Attempting to sidestep the Interbasin Transfer Act is deeply misguided — we cannot take our water supply for granted. The stakes are simply too high to weaken the very safeguards designed to protect it.”

The lawmakers also questioned how the MWRA arrived at the 20-million-gallon figure. The authority’s analysis addresses whether the reservoir system could physically supply that volume without exceeding its projected safe yield, but it does not identify specific new customers or provide community-level demand calculations.

The delegation’s letter maintains that the capacity to supply water is not the same as a demonstrated need to transfer it. The lawmakers argue that “demand” should reflect an actionable commitment by identified receiving communities, supported by infrastructure planning, necessary approvals, and the financial resources required to place the water into service.

"The Quabbin is an incredible resource for our entire Commonwealth, and decisions about its future deserve a thoughtful and transparent process," said State Senator Jake Oliveira. "We need to understand where this additional water is going, what the demonstrated need is, and what the long-term impacts will be before moving forward. I remain committed to working with the MWRA, my legislative colleagues, and our municipal partners to advance practical, equitable solutions that protect the Quabbin and ensure the communities that have stewarded this resource for generations have a meaningful voice in its future."

The delegation warned that approving the application would effectively create a bank of 20 million gallons per day that the MWRA could assign to future customers. Once that amount had been approved and incorporated into long-range planning, subsequent applications could carry the appearance that the Commission had already endorsed the underlying expansion before evaluating the need and alternatives of the individual communities involved.

The lawmakers emphasized that rejecting the current application would not prevent a municipality with a legitimate water-supply need from seeking MWRA service. Instead, it would require each proposed transfer to be presented with an identified receiving area, a defined quantity, documented demand, and a complete review of its environmental and economic consequences.

The Commission proceeding is one of several parallel efforts involving the future of the Quabbin and its host communities. The delegation is also pursuing legislative protections and investments through the Environmental Bond Bill and state-budget process, including measures addressing watershed stewardship, public access, fair compensation, and the role of Quabbin communities in decisions affecting the reservoir.

The lawmakers said these efforts are complementary but cannot substitute for one another. Legislative investments and reforms do not eliminate the Commission’s responsibility to apply the Interbasin Transfer Act fully, while rejection of the current MWRA application would not resolve the broader questions of fairness, access, representation, and investment confronting Quabbin communities. 

The Water Resources Commission is scheduled to meet in Belchertown on September 30. The delegation’s complete letter to the Commission is available attached.