Towns surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir protect the water for 2.7 million people in Eastern Mass. They’re getting financially starved in the process.

Towns surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts, which supply clean water to 2.7 million people, face financial crises due to land owned by the Commonwealth being excluded from local tax bases. PILOT payments for this land are significantly below state averages, costing towns like Shutesbury millions annually and threatening essential services.