The Overview

Residents of Malden, Revere and Everett will now have a clearer chain of responsibility for the flood-control structures along Town Line Brook and Linden Brook, after Massachusetts enacted An Act providing for the ownership and maintenance of the Town Line Brook and Linden Brook culverts and dams, Senate Bill 2967. High spring tides can send water over stoplogs near culverts and into the Town Line Brook channel. A 2023 coastal resilience mapping project examined present and future inland high-tide flooding in the area. ​

The law assigns the flood gates, tide gates and related structures to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and places the Cutler bridge in Revere under the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Before the law, it was unclear which state agency was responsible for maintaining those structures, leaving three cities without a clear point of contact when flooding threatened.

What the Law Does

DCR takes care, custody and control of all assets used to control water flow at Town Line Brook and Linden Brook, including tide gates attached to the Cutler bridge, but not the bridge's eight box culverts or their trash racks, which belong to MassDOT. That split in ownership reflects the physical layout: DCR controls the water-flow structures, while MassDOT owns the bridge and its drainage components.

Both agencies must inspect their structures at least twice a year. DCR must report inspection results to MassDOT and to the mayors and city council presidents of Malden, Revere and Everett within 90 days of each inspection, notify those officials in writing of any maintenance or repair work it undertakes, and allow their elected officials and employees to observe the work.

MassDOT must allow DCR personnel to cross the Cutler bridge and its property as needed to reach the flood-control assets, subject to existing permitting requirements. DCR must coordinate with MassDOT to provide access through the flood gates for formal bridge inspections.

Each agency bears the costs of inspections, maintenance, repairs and reconstruction for the assets under its control. The law states no specific dollar appropriation. State Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian cited $100,000 for flood-mitigation and stormwater improvements, including maintenance of the Town Line Brook and Linden Brook culverts, in a July 10 budget statement.

Legislative Status

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means was the lead sponsor. Cosponsors are Jason M. Lewis and Sal N. DiDomenico.

The Senate passed the bill Feb. 26; the House passed it June 11 after amending it; the Senate concurred in the House amendment July 2. The House enacted the bill July 8 and the Senate enacted it July 9. The bill moved through both chambers without a recorded dissenting vote in the available records.

Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed it July 17, making it Chapter 145 of the Acts of 2026.

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