News From Senator Joyce

For Immediate Release:      Further Information:

March 1, 2002      Marie Blanchard (617) 722-1643 

BILL TO SECURE AREA WATER STORAGE PASSES

Senator Brian A. Joyce, who along with fellow MWRA Legislative Caucus members filed a bill to allow for the acceleration of two critical water storage tank projects planned by the MWRA, this week lauded passage of that bill by the Massachusetts House of Representatives. These projects will help ensure the safety of the Metropolitan Boston area’s drinking water from possible chemical and biological attacks. As part of its journey from MWRA’s Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs to customers’ homes, drinking water requires protected, short-term storage in the metro area after treatment. It is these short-term storage facilities that the legislation seeks to protect. The bill now travels to the Senate for its consideration. 

“I am delighted that we are one stop closer to ensuring that our water systems are safe from contamination,” said Senator Joyce.

“Sometimes it is easy to forget how vitally important our infrastructure is to our economy and our communities, but this bill will help in large part to protect an essential part of that infrastructure,” stated MWRA Legislative Caucus Chair Robert A. DeLeo.  

MWRA plans to build a 25 million gallon storage tank underground near Blue Hills Reservoir in Quincy that will serve Quincy, Milton, Dorchester, West Roxbury and Hyde Park. The second project is a 20 million gallon underground tank near Spot Pond in Stoneham. The Blue Hills and Spot Pond Reservoirs were removed from active service to the MWRA system in 1981 and 1997 respectively. The MWRA has successfully used the design-build process for the 115 million gallon Norumbega water storage tank now under construction along the Mass Pike in Weston. 

“Over the past few months those of us in the state legislature, like society as a whole, have been forced to carefully reexamine many issues which we previously took for granted. The security of our water infrastructure is one of these issues,” said Caucus Vice-Chair Ronald Mariano. 

The MWRA Legislative Caucus is composed of Representatives and Senators who represent MWRA serviced communities. The Caucus has worked diligently through the years to control water and sewer rates and to ensure the quality and safety of MWRA services.