This paper describes how, over the past decade, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) has placed an increasing level of importance on improving the operation of the distribution facilities in the metropolitan Boston area, and backed that up with both financial and human resource investments in both its own system and its member community systems. As an exclusively wholesale provider, MWRA could take a narrow view of its mandate and provide only supply, treatment and transmission services to the 46 communities and 2.3 million residents it serves. However, a broader view, which acknowledges that shared management and resolution of problems is in everyone's best interest was taken by the MWRA and is described in this report. A new working relationship was created between MWRA, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and its member communities. As part of the cooperative program, Total Coliform Rule sampling was conducted as a joint effort. New data analysis and reporting practices were implemented and a sampler-training program was implemented to provide community samplers with the skills needed to collect sanitary bacteria samples and accurate chlorine residual measurements. A resource allocation program was initiated that encouraged local governments to place a higher priority on pipe rehab and channel the funds needed to local water managers. MWRA created an on-call contracting program focused on water quality in the community distribution systems. Problem solving and response planning are also discussed. Includes figures.