Get the lead out
Troy’s lackadaisical approach to replacing lead pipes left residents in harm’s way.
Troy is finally preparing to spend the more than $500,000 it received from the federal government to help residents replace lead water pipes. That’s good news, but here’s a question: What in the world took so long ?
Like 43 other communities in New York, Troy received the grant money way back in 2018, which, of course, is five years ago now. Albany, Schenectady, Watervliet and Hudson were among the cities that also received the funding that year and acted to put it to use. But Troy, as a recent report by Environmental Advocates of New York noted, “stands in stark contrast to other municipalities that took swift advantage of these new resources to protect the health of their residents.”
Troy’s incomprehensibly lethargic approach suggests municipal inertia at its worst — and an indefensible lapse by the administration of Mayor Patrick Madden, who, at a recent meeting of the City Council, responded to residents angered by the delay by languidly explaining that Troy was still working on criteria for distributing the money. The mayor might as well have yawned before asking, “What’s the rush?”
Mr. Madden, a Democrat, wasn’t wrong in saying the city needs a rational, organized way to disperse the funding. Wealthier homeowners who can afford to replace pipes that are considered private property shouldn’t be able to tap into a pot that is too limited to help everyone. Poorer residents should be the priority.
But, again, why has this taken so long ? Other cities quickly came up with criteria for distributing the money, so why couldn’t Troy? It’s impossible to understand why getting lead out of drinking water wasn’t a priority when, as Environmental Advocates put it, “the longer that the city waits to dig up pipes, the longer that residents are kept at risk.”
It is no small problem. There are an estimated 14,000 residences in the city that are served by lead pipes, and many homeowners either don’t know they’re affected or are unaware of the significant health concerns related to lead contamination. Some who are aware simply can’t afford to replace pipes on their own.
Members of the City Council, at least, seem ready to apply urgency to the task at hand. Republican City Council President Carmella Mantello and Councilwoman Sue Steele, the Democratic council leader, say they are ready to tap into what remains of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act money to help replace pipes for as many homes as possible. Ms. Mantello and Ms. Steele also say that the $517,000 federal grant must be spent immediately and promise that they will search for other funding sources that could aide homeowners in neighborhoods across the city.
Action, at long last, seems imminent. We’re tempted to say better late than never, only that might suggest that the Madden administration’s inaction and apparent indifference were OK. They were not. Sitting on the money was a failure, and an inexcusable one at that.