Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello updated the city council on a number of efforts at the latest finance committee meeting.
As the city works toward its goal to inventory and replace all lead-contaminated water service lines, the Republican says 48.6 percent have been logged in just over a year. When she took office in January, more than 45 percent of the lines had been inventoried through efforts by former Mayor Patrick Madden and the city’s Department of Public Utilities.
Mantello, who has pledged to replace all contaminated service lines in her first four-year term, says 20 lines have been replaced this year.
“The inventory process has not slowed down. Our folks are still going down to the doors but remember, the first 50 percent we knew that that was the low hanging fruit,” Mantello said. “Now it's hitting the folks, like we talked about last night, basically, ‘I have a newer house, you know my house does not have lead piping it has copper, I don't need to be a part of this inventory.’ Even though they know that their home may their piping may be lead free. We need those folks and those are the critical ones.”
The Republican says inventorying the next 50 percent will require more legwork. Mantello says she will continue an aggressive public awareness campaign, going door-to-door and tabling at public events, to reach her goal. Exposure to the element has been linked to several harmful health effects, including developmental delays in children.
“Our goal is 100 percent by October; if we can even get 85% there, I think we're in super good shape,” Mantello said.
Last year, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Lead Pipe Right to Know Act, which requires municipalities to inventory and publicize their water service line stock. Localities have until October 16th to complete a lead line inventory.
Mantello says the city has hired a part-time grant writer and applied for several grants to support the project.
Resident and advocate Greg Campbell-Cohen warns of increasing costs as more municipalities embark on replacements.
“I would just encourage the council to really consider bonding, even if you know you're expecting grants down the line; just to have that liquidity do these programs going fast,” Campbell-Cohen said. “Because we have a very tight window right now where Troy actually has an advantage for getting the lead service line replacement program going. And that window will close. It has to just because every city has to do this.”
Which raises the question: can public funding be used on private water lines? State Assemblyman John McDonald, a Democrat from the 108th district, says there are potential legal challenges. McDonald tells WAMC he is working with the state comptroller on the issue.
“This is where we have this dynamic where some local governments are making that decision and throwing caution to the wind,” McDonald said. “Other local governments are still waiting for greater clarification. I am working with our counsel in the Assembly and we are actually reaching across the country and other states, working through our national associations to see if there's anything better we can do from a state level to give that clarification.”
The mayor and her administration also provided an update on the situation at Eddy’s Lane Pump Station where a 30-inch water main was corroding and pumps and values were leaking.
City Engineer Russ Reeves says work is not moving as quickly as initially planned with necessary parts in short supply.
Reeves says the work had to be phased as it would take more than two years to get a replacement line for the pump, which serves roughly 135,000 people across eight municipalities.
Meantime, Reeves says a carbon fiber wrap will be installed — a cost-effective solution.
“We're currently the evaluation is currently underway to evaluate the most practical approach to maintain that pump,” Reeves said.
For her part, Democratic City Council President Sue Steele says the issue was overstated.
“I'm glad that they've addressed the leaking but whether or not it was of emergency men magnitude I question,” Steele said.
The next city council meeting is April 4th.
