The Quabbin Reservoir already provides about 200 million gallons of water daily to mostly eastern Massachusetts communities, even though the reservoir itself is located in the western part of the state.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), a quasi-state agency, has filed a request to take another 20 million gallons a day from the Quabbin, although it hasn't specified which towns will get it or when.
That request was met with fierce opposition at a public hearing in Belchertown on Wednesday (September 30.)
Shutesbury town administrator Hayley Bolton was among about 200 people who attended the hearing by the state's Water Resources Commission, which will decide on the request.
Echoing an argument made by many, Bolton said the state law known as the Interbasin Transfer Act only allows new water permissions from the Quabbin if specific towns make a case for why they need more water.
“So how can you say that there's a need for something that you haven't yet articulated and then lock up that resource forever?” she said.
Dozens of speakers, including western Massachusetts state legislators and residents around the Quabbin, urged the commission to vote against the water authority's request. No one spoke in favor of it.
The hearing also brought up recurring themes of equity between the two sides of the state. Many said western Massachusetts towns take on the burden of protecting the Quabbin without getting the benefits of its drinking water, nor are they adequately compensated for keeping land around the reservoir undeveloped.
“The enduring impact is that communities who are desperately trying to find ways to fund their schools or public safety, keep their roads and bridges intact, don't have the opportunity to do so because vast parts of their communities are owned by the MWRA,” said state representative Aaron Saunders, who represents several towns in the Quabbin region. “And they get a pittance of consideration for a resource that effectively makes the economy of Eastern Mass go round.”
And unlike the Boston area, he added, many of those towns also face drought-related water restrictions.
Some speakers argued that eastern Massachusetts towns should show they have attempted to conserve water before they are allowed to take more from the Quabbin.
The water commission said it will issue a preliminary decision on the MWRA’s request by early winter and hold another public hearing before it's finalized.
