Town of Vienna Addresses Water Main Break Questions

PHOTO: A water main break flooded the Brause family basement Jan. 22 with a foot of muddy water. The family is in a dispute with the Town of Vienna regarding payment of the damages. Photo courtesy of Brause family

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A local family is in a dispute with the Town of Vienna over payment of damages caused by a water main break Jan. 22. That’s when a foot of muddy water spilled into the basement of the Brause family home. The family was hoping to be reimbursed for their approximately $30,000 in damages by the Town of Vienna. But so far Vienna officials are saying it’s not up to the Town to pay it. The family sent a personal letter Friday asking the Town to pay for the damages. So far the dispute has not been settled.

Patch sent a list of questions to Town of Vienna officials to try to clarify how the town deals with water main breaks and what residents should know. The Town’s answers are in bold.

1. Does the Town have some sort of insurance to cover situations when a resident’s home is damaged from a water main break? Yes, there is $10,000 “no fault” coverage and like many other situations, the Town has municipal liability insurance to cover the processing of claims and payment if the Town is liable.

2. Why doesn’t the Town of Vienna cover damages, like Fairfax Water apparently does in some situations? The Town covers up to $10k and our insurance carrier reviews claims above that amount.

3. Does the Town let residents know in any way that water main break damage won’t be covered? We will put information in the March newsletter regarding the Town’s insurance and information informing residents to check with their insurance provider to acquire the adequate amount of coverage to protect themselves against unforeseen events.

4. If an insurance company says they also won’t cover it, and that the water company should, what should residents do? Unfortunately, we cannot give legal advice to the public. Some insurance providers do cover water damage, however, some do not.

5. Do you have the name of an insurance company with special insurance that will cover all residents in Vienna for a problem like this? Citizens should contact their home insurance carriers directly. There are various types of coverage related to water, sewer and flood damage.

6. Does the Town proactively repair pipes before breaks can occur, or is the Town simply repairing pipes when there is a break? What is the annual Town water department budget? Does the water department have money to spend on repairs before they happen? How much is spent annually on fixing water main breaks and/or proactively repairing them before they break? The Town actively renovates, repairs and monitors its water and sewer systems. The most recent study is public record. As part of the Capital Improvement Program, the Vienna Town Council approves funds for water main cleaning, lining and replacement project with each bond issue. The annual water system operations and repair budget is approximately $1,000,000.

7. Why does the Town reportedly charge residents almost double for water compared to Fairfax Water prices? The average quarterly usage of a Town of Vienna water consumer is 16,000 gallons. Based upon the average quarter, a Town of Vienna water/sewer consumer bill is $181.56. Using that same average quarter, a Fairfax Water consumer bill would be between $168.06 to $224.86 depending upon their individual peak usage. Town of Vienna water/sewer rates are comparable to Fairfax Water water/sewer rates.

8. Do water fees stay in the water department? The Water and Sewer Fund is an Enterprise fund. An Enterprise fund is required to have a balanced budget where the revenue is equal to the expenditures and the Town complies. The water and sewer revenue is currently slightly higher by 4% than expenditures in a 4-year plan to recover the losses from 2011/2012. The water and sewer expenses are fully supported by the charges to Water and Sewer customers. The water and sewer revenue remains, by definition and in actuality, in the Water and Sewer Fund.