Woodbury Wonders Why Water Lines Are Breaking

Woodbury saw in inordinate number of water lines break last year.

It’s a costly fix—up to $10,000—and it falls on the homeowner’s shoulders.

“That’s a lot of money for somebody to come up with,” Councilwoman Amy Scoggins said.

The Woodbury City Council is now looking at ways to educate residents about the breaks and help them cope with the associated costs.

City staffers during a workshop session Wednesday said it’s difficult to determine why there were so many failures in the water lines last year. It could be faulty installation, a shift in the soil, changes in landscaping or any number of other factors. It's generally not caused by equipment failure, despite the rusted old pieces of pipe brought to on Wednesday.

They typically leak or break near where the city’s utility line connects with the pipe running to the home—the "curb-stop."

“There’s something else going on and I just hope it doesn’t continue. … That should not be happening,” Councilman Paul Rebholz said.

Council members informally agreed to take a pronged approach to the problem:

• provide residents with information about the issue,
• compile a list of preferred contractors and insurance providers,
• study the matter as part of a water-rate analysis, and
• examine alternatives for payment plans for residents whose lines break or leak.

Not every homeowner’s insurance policy covers water-line breaks, Rebholz said, and many people don’t know if their policy does or doesn't.

Added Scoggins: “I’m going to call tomorrow.”