EDITORIAL: Transparency and action as Malden become a regional leader in lead pipe replacement

Mayor Gary Christenson, Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora, U.S. Rep.-House Minority Whip Katherine Clark can all take a bow

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson has made it a focal point of his administration since he first took office: transparency. In partnering with the Malden City Council on a number of issues, there has been a decidedly consistent method of both providing information in an open and transparent way and then reaching an agreement on action that can be taken to either improve a situation, solve a problem – or both.

In one major area of concern in our community, the Mayor, joined by Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora and his City Council colleagues as well as U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Fifth District), has made tremendous progress in the past several years – replacing lead pipes in Malden. In just seven years, since 2017, when the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) declared that Malden must adhere to established regulations and address the problem of lead pipe service, the city has witnessed a major turnaround and progress toward achieving this goal. Spearheaded by the diligence and efforts of Councillor Spadafora, a new Removal of Lead Pipes Ordinance was weighed, debated and enrolled by the City Council in 2017. In it, the city established that private homeowners and business owners must replace lead water lines going out from their homes to the street; likewise, the city was obliged to replace lead lines from the street to the lines from the homes or businesses. Along with the new ordinance – the first of its kind in city history – the city also established assistance programs featuring both information and guidance for homeowners on the “how to” for replacing lead lines, as well as financial resources, such as interest-free loans to pay for lead line replacements.

In 2022 it was estimated by the city’s Engineering Department and City Engineer Yem Lip that a 10-year plan to replace all lead lines in Malden carried a price tag of $35 million. At that time, it was also estimated there were about 2,500 known lead water lines among the 12,000 in the city. In a report delivered at a recent Council meeting, it was stated that Malden has a legitimate chance to attain that goal by 2032. Within the past year alone, Malden has replaced 301 lead lines – a new yearly high.

One of the key reasons Malden has been able to attack and address this pressing issue is through the continued assistance of U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark at the federal level. In 2022, through the efforts of Rep. Clark and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a Malden resident, the city of Malden received a giant boost toward lead pipe replacement in the form of a $3.36 million grant. Another $1.4 million in federal funding courtesy of the Infrastructure Law for Clean Water was announced coming to Malden in May of this year, again through Rep. Clark’s efforts. Additional funding and a robust no-interest lending program for local homeowners has come through the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to this city, supported by our state legislative delegation of state Reps. Steve Ultrino (D-Malden), Paul Donato (D-Malden, Medford) and Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Malden, Melrose) and state Sen. Jason Lewis (D-5th District).

Eight years ago, MassDEP ruled that Malden had the most lead water service lines in the Commonwealth, about 47% of all lines in the community. With over 1,000 lines replaced since that unwieldy number was revealed, progress can most definitely be acknowledged. As it stands today, the lead line “most in the state” label no longer applies to Malden.

Though the “finish line” may still be far off in the distance at this time, 2032 is really not that far away, as the sage of the City Council, 32-year Ward 2 icon Paul Condon pointed out.

Transparency, action and progress – they have all played a role in Malden addressing one of its most pressing issues of the new millennium. Let’s keep the progress moving forward.