SANDY — Some south valley residents are getting some added insurance in the event of sewer line break.
This week, the Sandy Suburban Improvement District launched a new insurance program to help homeowners with the cost of repairing a leaky or damaged lateral sewer line.
The district provides public sanitary sewer services to a majority of Sandy, a small section of Midvale and unincorporated areas of Salt Lake County. The lateral line is the small pipe that runs from the primary sewer line to an individual residence.
Improvement districts typically are responsible for the main sewage line serving every home within its boundaries, but homeowners have been the responsible for any damage to the lateral line to their house. The price of repairs can often range between $5,000 to $15,000, and homeowners insurance does not always cover the cost.
Customers can now be enrolled in the Lateral Insurance Protection Program provided by an insurance underwriter that would pay for the cost of lateral line repair or replacement if it becomes necessary. The policy would provide a licensed independent contractor who would inspect the damage and repair or replace the pipe with the full cost covered through the insurance policy.
The district has committed to cover the entire cost of the program’s implementation and coverage. All work is guaranteed with no cost to patrons.
District officials noted that the program varies from other insurance programs in that all 45,000 homeowners served will be insured.
“This is a problem for everybody so we worked hard to develop an innovative and cost-effective solution,” said Jerry Knight, Sandy Suburban Improvement District general manager.
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