Water Connection Leaks Could Soak Homeowners

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Story and photos by John Burton
RED BANK – When Alberto Larotonda first saw a persistent water spot in front of his Spring Street home he really didn’t think much of it. And when a borough Public Works Utility employee came by and inspected the site, saying there is a continuous leak somewhere under the roadway leading up to the water connection to his home, Larotonda suspected it was a problem. But when he was told whose problem and financial responsibility it was, he was stunned and became angry.
“I thought it was absurd, you’re asking a taxpayer to pay for work on public property,” was Larotonda’s response to the determination.
The actual extent of the damage is unknown until the work commences, Larotonda was told, but borough officials are requiring a $2,960 deposit from the homeowner to commence the work.
That work, requiring the excavation of a portion of the street, but with the scope of it still unknown, has to be done by one contractor who submitted the competitive bid and was approved by the Borough Council, say borough officials.
Should the roadway need to be closed in part and traffic directed, that would also require having a police officer on site, the cost of which – $80 an hour – the homeowner would have to shoulder, according to a letter Clifford M. Keen, the borough’s director of Public Utilities, sent to Larotonda.
“I assumed the water company was responsible for the connection of the water main under the street to the shutoff valve to the curb,” Larotonda said, finding out that wasn’t the case.
“When did I ever agree that I owned plumbing on public property?” he said.
Larotonda, who has owned his home for more than 20 years, and the rest of borough property owners, may not have agreed to it, but this has been the case for more than 20 years, according to borough administrator Stanley Sickels and Keen.
The officials pointed to a longstanding ordinance that lays out the responsibility for such repair work. “The owner of any house, tenement, building or lot shall be liable for the payment of the price, rent or service charge as heretofore or hereafter fixed by ordinance or ordinances of the Borough, for the use of water facilities…”
The property owners’ responsibility can extend beyond the property line, from the connection to the borough’s water main to the shutoff valve (which is below grade), which may or may not be on the property or in the public area, according to Keen, and, obviously, running into the structure.
The reason for having one borough-selected contractor is because “contractors” hired by property owners “would break our main,” said Sickels. The designated contractor, Mark Woszczak Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Manasquan, was selected through the competitive bidding process, as required by state law, with Woszczak providing the lowest, competent bid, according to Sickels. “We bid the work to get the best guy,” Sickels said.
“If you were to ask, I would suspect that more than 90 percent of homeowners weren’t aware that they are responsible for this,” Larotonda said.
Keen has been with the borough as Public Works director for approximately a year. “Since I’ve been here there’s been a steady stream of requests to replace the water line from the street to the curb,” he said.
“A lot of it is because of low pressure complaints,” from homeowners, Keen said. Other instances were because of ruptures and leaks. Some of those can be attributed to an aging infrastructure, he explained.
Simon Goldenberg had a more immediate concern this week. Water was spewing up from what he suspected was his water valve connection at the curb in front of his McLaren Street home. It began on Sunday, but Goldenberg couldn’t get in touch with Public Works and police advised him to call a plumber. The plumber couldn’t respond until Monday, Goldenberg said, with water bubbling up from just in front of his sidewalk area. Goldenberg found out that only the borough Public Works can shut off or turn off the water in the public main.
Red Bank resident Alberto Larotonda discusses his leaking water situation at his home with Red Bank Borough Council President Cindy Burnham and borough administrator Stanley Sickels.

Goldenberg said he and his plumber were surprised to find out the property owner was financially responsible for the costs. “Speaking to a few other plumbers, this is something they never heard before,” Goldenberg said. In those plumbers’ experience, the municipality under takes repairs from the valve connection to the water main on a public roadway, he said.

In the case of Goldenberg’s home, the problem stemmed from tuberculation, or corrosion caused by mixing a galvanized steel connection to a brass one wearing away the connection at the water valve, Keen explained.
“The thing with water leaks is you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into until you start the work,” Keen said.
Larotonda had reached out to elected officials to discuss the situation. Borough Council President Cindy Burnham responded to his concerns and came to Goldenberg’s home to see the extent of that leak.
“This is a lot of wasted water and a big expense to residents,” Burnham said. “How many residents can afford to spend $3,000 just like that?”
Burnham, who is concluding her term in office, recommended, “We better start bettering our infrastructure.”
Some communities such as Madison and Sayreville offer insurance protection for these situations for a relatively small fee to property owners. Keen pointed out that homeowners can get similar private insurance from such groups as AARP, costing maybe $60-$70 annually. “If anyone asked me I would recommend getting it,” he said.
The current contractor’s term ends in May 2017 and officials are discussing adding a few other contractors to the list for property owners to select from, Sickels said.
Larotonda at this point hasn’t agreed to allow the work to be done yet, seeking additional documentation before agreeing to anything, he said. The leak is far enough away from his water meter, so he’s not being charged for it, he said.
What bothers him, too is, “There’s an arrogance here,” he maintained. “The town is basically asking me to give them a blank check. That’s what it is. This could be seen as an additional tax.”
Sickels explained that if the water connection at a property reaches a point that it needs immediate emergency work, under the ordinance officials can have the contractor do the work and if necessary have a lien levied against the property owner. The borough hasn’t ever done it but it is an option, Sickels said.
Goldenberg has lived in his McLaren Street home for four years. He complained that water pressure has never really been satisfactory and the water bill is high. Now he was on the hook for this added expense for something that was done incorrectly prior to his owning his home.
“I think the town has a lot of improvements to do on the water front,” he said.