Water Main Break 'Act of God,' Vienna Refuses to Cover Damage

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

Also read: Town of Vienna Answers Questions About Water Main Break

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A Vienna-area family’s basement was flooded with more than a foot of muddy water after a Jan. 22 water main break and their pleas for help from the Town of Vienna to cover damage costs seem to be falling on deaf ears.

Homeowner Jon Brause said Friday that it is costing his family about $30,000 to replace the damaged furnace, carpet, drywall, appliances, furniture and laptops ruined by the break. The family’s insurance company refuses to cover it, saying it was the water company’s fault.

Brause said Friday that the Town of Vienna considers the water main break “an Act of God” and won’t cover it.

Meanwhile, to add another twist to the knife, the Brause family actually lives in Fairfax County but their home is serviced by the Town of Vienna.

Fairfax Water usually covers such damage, on a case by case basis, Brause said he has discovered.

But the Town of Vienna said they do not cover such damage and advised the family to purchase “hazard insurance” to cover such damages in the future.

Brause said he has looked into it and spoken with his insurance company and said that for cases such as his, no such insurance seems to exist.

The Brause family delivered a personal letter to the Town of Vienna today (Friday) asking the Town to reconsider reimbursing them for the damage.

In addition to the damage to their basement, Brause said he and his family were without heat or running water for three days because of the water main break.

“They told us to be sure to get our furnace repaired so our pipes wouldn’t freeze,” he said.

In researching the problem, Brause said he discovered that Vienna residents are paying double for water when compared to surrounding residents serviced by Fairfax Water.

Vienna residents pay $4.66 per thousand gallons while Fairfax Water customers are paying $2.55, he noted.

“Everybody in Vienna needs to know this,” Brause said. “It’s very infuriating. We fell through every little gap in this ordeal.”

A call Friday afternoon to the Town of Vienna Public Information Office, to respond to the family’s story about their ordeal, was not answered or returned on Friday.

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