This last winter was a tough winter for all of us including utility
lines. All across the state people
suffered with frozen water lines to their homes and some water mains froze as
well. Water typically maintains a
ground water temperature of about 50 degrees however with the heavy frost this
year many service lines froze. Keeping
them clear requires periodic use when the temperatures were as cold as they
were.
Breezy Point does not provide water service so those issues didn’t
pose a problem but we did have a sewer main freeze. This is somewhat unusual as most sewer mains
have flow that is warmer than ground temperature. Sewer carries flow from households that are
either room temperature or higher given wash water from clothes, dishwashers and
general use.
The line that froze was in Airport Road. In addition to the
sub-zero temperatures there are two factors that contributed to the
problem. One included a manhole that is
six feet deep. The line is insulated
which should have helped the situation but the other issue with this line is it
has low flow. With a limited number of
users, flow was not keeping the line warm.
Without the flow, insulation really does no good. With a higher number of users it increases
flow in the main and therefore increases the temperature.
A higher flow also moves solids down the line helping alleviate issues
that could be caused by blockages.
The freezing of water and sewer mains are considered an act
of god. A blockage of a sewer main in
general is not something the city is responsible for. In this instance the city insurance carrier
determined that the city was liable in that the line was shallow and has limited
flow. A shallow line with adequate flow
is fine but with the limited flow it needs additional attention. The insurance carrier addressed the damages
suffered by the property owners but also put the city on notice that additional
maintenance will be needed in the future when it comes to this sewer main.
It is important for all home owners to recognize that the
city is not liable for sewer backups in most situations. The city attorney has stated the city doesn’t
insure against acts of god. With that in
mind it is important for property owners to recognize that having sewer backup
coverage on their property is a wise investment. The additional coverage is usually at a limited
cost. It would be worthwhile to review
your homeowners policy to see if you have this coverage and to consider adding
it if that coverage is missing.
