More than 1,000 Hilton Head property owners likely will pay cost of waterline breaks
Water and sewer providers on the island say waterlines running from meters to houses or businesses are the property owners' responsibility.
"It is your line,"
"You can sometimes purchase a separate insurance for piping underground, but it is offered through your water and sewer provider," Dubisky said.
It's also uncertain if that insurance, even if available, would cover an act-of-God situation such as Hurricane Matthew, he said.
None of the water and sewer providers on
"A key reason we haven't done one of those protection-plan partnerships thus far is because we've found many wouldn't have applied to customers in the event of a hurricane," Nardi said.
The
Ferda said her service district had concerns about partnering with insurance providers.
"The companies with whom I have met would not provide us a list of their local plumbers," she said.
Often, water utility companies receive incentives for offering insurance, Ferda said.
Customers also could have sewer line breaks on their property, but it is unlikely, Nardi said, explaining that those lines usually are deeper.
Waterlines are typically pulled up by the roots of trees that fall during storms, Nardi said. He said the roots usually do not reach deep enough nor are they strong enough to pull up sewer lines.
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