City of Malden holds meeting to talk about sewage issues before going to court

MALDEN, Mo. (KBSI) – People in Malden are trying to remain patient as they have been dealing with a smelly situation for about three weeks. 

City leaders have said the vacuum pumps for the sewage system went down and need replaced which is leading to sewage taking over people’s yards and even homes. 

Richie Jones is a local in Malden and has been living there for about thirty years. 

“We had a meeting last night with the mayor. Some of the residents got the voice their concerns and everybody has all the rights of concerns. Some people are just talking about different options and stuff like that, but you know right now there’s not really many options on the table for anybody out there other than just wait-and-see.”

Jones and other residents are now trying to come up with. The city held a meeting yesterday to share the plans with the mayor and the mayor is taking it to court. 

“Just replacing pumps and controllers in the pods is one thing but if there is leaking pipes in farm fields somewhere causing leaks in the system it’s not going to hold the system for much longer.

The mayor of Malden Denton Kooyman says he is doing everything he can to solve the problem however he says that right now instead of replacing the entire system they are putting a band aid on it. 

“The whole thing needs an overhaul, but it needs a large sum of money to do that.”

Meanwhile, Jones says he contacted the USDA to see if there are other options and is looking for someone else to take over.

“Anywhere from what the mayor said last night anywhere from half a million to 40 million for repairs on the system or to replace the system so we’re kind of at a standstill for financial funding.”

Other residents are looking at the benefits of installing septic tanks, but leaders hope another option will be available, so people don’t have to take matters into their own hands. 

“I am hoping with this court date that’s extending it a little bit longer, maybe we can get some financial help from one of the banks or another entity just to get the system up and running right now. I don’t want to just have it for another 180 days and it will be in the same spot as it is now.”

Related story: Sewage spreads in the yards of Malden residents