Why Is H.984 Still Waiting? Pembroke Demands Action on Water Management

I am writing on behalf of residents and advocates in Pembroke to urge continued support for H.984, An Act relative to water flow in the Central Plymouth County Water District. This bill, filed in the 2025–2026 General Court by Representatives Kathleen R. LaNatra and Kenneth P. Sweezey with Representative Patrick Joseph Kearney, would update long-outdated water management law and require stronger protection for the environmental health of the ponds, rivers, and out-flowing waterways connected to Silver Lake, Monponsett Pond, and Furnace Pond. For Pembroke residents, this issue is not abstract. Approximately 8% of Pembroke is comprised of water that is treated as a shared interest across multiple communities. Our community lives with the consequences of water management decisions that affect local ecology, water quality, stream flow, and public trust. Residents deserve transparency as a baseline, foresight as a best practice, and equity when decisions are made about shared natural resources. H.984 represents a reasonable and overdue modernization of the law. The bill would add environmental health as a clear factor in diversion decisions, including the judgment of the Department of Agricultural Resources or the Water Resources Commission, and it would require continuous flow to out-flowing rivers unless prevented by drought. Those are practical protections for ecosystems that Pembroke residents depend on and have advocated for over many years. What is most concerning now is the bill’s path through the Legislature. According to the legislative history shown on the General Court page, H.984 was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on July 16, 2025, then placed in the Orders of the Day, had rules suspended, and was read a second time and ordered to a third reading on August 14, 2025. The committee vote shown in the attached record was unanimous: 11 favorable, 0 adverse, 0 reserve right, and 0 no action. If this bill was voted on favorably and unanimously last July, why is it still being sent to a third reading rather than moving promptly to final action? Pembroke residents deserve a clear answer. A third reading may be a standard procedural step, but when a bill has already received unanimous committee support and addresses a long-running local and regional concern, the public has every right to ask why progress appears to stall at the moment when action should follow. If there are substantive concerns, technical changes, or leadership decisions holding the bill back, those reasons should be explained openly. This legislation has been filed repeatedly over many sessions because the need has not gone away. Meanwhile, local advocates, watershed groups, and volunteers continue doing the hard work of documenting water conditions, protecting habitat, and pushing for responsible stewardship. They should not have to wonder why a unanimously supported bill continues to wait. Pembroke is asking for more than symbolic support. Residents are asking the Legislature to match its favorable vote with visible action. That means advancing H.984 without unnecessary delay, explaining the reason for its current posture in third reading, and ensuring that the Commonwealth’s management of shared waters reflects modern environmental realities and the needs of the communities most affected. Please move H.984 forward and provide the public with a clear explanation of its status. Sincerely,