Water, sewer line insurance agreement before Farmington City Council

April 01--FARMINGTON -- Farmington City Council will decide Tuesday whether to enter an agreement with an insurance company to provide discounted water and sewer service line coverage to property owners.

If Mayor Tommy Roberts signs the contract, city water and sewer customers can sign up twice a year for three years for the insurance at a 10 percent discount. The insurance covers the cost to maintain water and sewer lines.

Service Line Warrantee of America, Inc. provides the utility line protection insurance. The company's insurance costs about $5.75 for water line and $7.25 for sewer line monthly coverage, according to city documents.

"It's totally optional," Public Works Director David Sypher said. "(Residents) can say 'No.'"

Property owners are often surprised they're responsible for sections of their home's water and sewer lines, Sypher said. Generally, he said, the city does not maintain the sections of water line that run from residents' homes to the property line and sewer line from residents' homes to the street.

Residents must hire a contractor to maintain their sections of water and sewer lines, Sypher said. Replacing a water line often costs about $2,000, and a sewer line can cost about $4,000, he said.

The insurance company would chose contractors to repair and maintain the customer's lines, and the company would also market the program to residents, according to city documents.

More than 200 cities participate in the insurance program, according to city documents.

The agreement between the company and the city is for three years, according to city documents.

Dan Schwartz covers government for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4606 and [email protected]. Follow him @Dan_J_Schwartz on Twitter.

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