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March 30, 2006 - Central Massachusetts lawmakers yesterday called for quick action on legislation they filed in January seeking stiffer penalties for trespassing on public watershed lands and at water supply facilities, after vandalism at a water supply tank in Blackstone. 

State Sens. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, and Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, both said the additional punishment for trespassing at water supply properties is warranted in light of concerns about terrorism linked to the al-Qaida attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. 

“Since 9-11, with people who trespass or tamper with public water supplies, it is not the same as when Huck Finn went for a dip in the reservoir. This is serious business, where lives are threatened and, frankly, mass mayhem and chaos could happen,” Mr. Brewer said. 

Mr. Brewer said his view is not an overreaction to the everyday threats to public drinking water, and that the new level of concern associated with water supplies was evident in the Blackstone incident. 

“Think about the amount of money local officials had to pay to test, businesses that were impacted, the schools that had to bring in Porta-Sans, the bottled water that had to be utilized and the uncertainty that was caused,” Mr. Brewer said. 

Mr. Brewer, whose district includes the Quabbin Reservoir and Ware River watersheds, said he has been seeking the tougher penalties on trespassing around water supplies for five years. 

The bill would impose fines of $250 to $5,000 and up to one year in jail for first offenses of trespassing; repeat offenders could face fines of $500 to $10,000 and up to 2-1/2 years in jail. 

The bill would also let courts order restitution to a water supplier or community for such things as the cost of water testing and investigations to determine water safety. 

The penalties would apply to trespassing on any water supply lands or facilities that are posted against trespassing, he said, including much of the Quabbin, Ware and Wachusett watersheds and the watershed lands around the Worcester water supplies in Holden, Rutland and Paxton, as well as other municipal properties. 

Mr. Moore said it is clear that trespassing on watershed lands and water supply properties “is not a simple crime anymore. This has really inconvenienced one whole town in Massachusetts and part of a town in Rhode Island. They had to close the schools for a day, a lot of businesses affected,” Mr. Moore said. 

Mr. Moore said he also hopes to see an amendment to boost penalties for vandalism at water supply properties before the legislation is adopted. 

The bill is also supported by Sen. Pamela P. Resor, D-Acton, and is sponsored in the House by state Rep. James B. Leary, D-Worcester. 

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