Major efforts are underway in Washington to replace dangerous lead pipes. But not all replacements went smoothly — and some residents tell the News4 I-Team they incurred costly repair bills they felt they didn't have to pay .
Since DC Water launched its Lead Free DC initiative in 2019, 7,000 new service lines have been installed. The goal is to replace a further 35,000 connection lines by 2037.
Michael and Brooke Taylor are proud of the work they put into renovating their basement apartment in Southeast DC
“This is not a big place – very small – but it was built just for us,” Michael Taylor said.
In February, the couple returned home from a trip to find the entire apartment a flooded mess. They said it happened after their landlord agreed to let DC Water replace the lead pipes leading to the house while they were away. At first they didn't know where to turn.
“I'm researching and trying to figure out, who should I call? Who can I talk to? How do I file a claim?” Brooke Taylor remembered asking.
She said the DC Water contractor came back and fixed the burst pipe, but later that same day another leak flooded the bathroom.
The video they provided shows soaked floorboards and water pouring from a pipe directly onto the bathroom floor.
(Source: The Taylors)
“So now it’s like damage upon damage. And at this point, DC Water never returned. None of the DC Water employees have returned,” said Brooke Taylor.
The Taylors received an estimate for damage to the home and their property totaling approximately $30,000. They filed a claim with DC Water's insurance company, after which they went back and forth for months trying to figure out who would pay what. The insurer told them they suspected the flooding was caused by defective plastic hoses on a sink.
“Although this may have been a residual effect of increased water pressure due to the replacement of your home service line, the question of fact here is whether or not the subcontractor was liable for negligent work,” the insurer said in a statement.
Three months after the flood, the insurer offered the Taylors $8,000, saying, “This offer was made as a courtesy to assist in the cleanup effort and was not intended as an admission of liability.” We stand by that “Concluded that the contractors were not negligent in their actions and there is no evidence that they did anything wrong.”
The insurer later added: “Sometimes accidents happen without any legal liability.”
The I-Team found that since DC Water's lead pipe replacement project began in 2019, the utility has settled and paid more than $320,000 in claims.
Andrew Interdonato, a Southeast D.C. resident, said replacing lead pipes resulted in costly damage to his home.
In November 2022, he agreed to replace lead pipes in his 100-year-old home. Something went wrong after he said contractors plugged construction equipment into an electrical outlet in his home rather than a generator, causing a power outage.
“The stove smelled like it was burning and there was smoke,” Interdonato said.
Documents provided to the I-Team by Interdonato show that DC Water was willing to pay to restore power but would only cover half the cost of permanently repairing the home's electrical system because of the required Repairs are not a direct result of work done by the crew.
“You have chosen to use my power. I suffered consequences. And they just walk away, and that’s not right,” he said.
“We’ll make you healthy”: How DC Water responded
DC Water said it could not comment on individual cases pending litigation. However, Kirsten Williams, chief communications officer, said: “In each of these situations we take this very seriously.”
Williams said the number of customer complaints related to lead pipe replacement is low compared to the size of the project, and questions and complaints fell from 5% to just 1% in the last fiscal year.
“If you look at the replacements of leading service lines that are happening across the country, these are standard cases, especially when you look at the age and condition of some of the homes,” Williams said. “What I want to say to these customers is that you are committed to us going through this claims process with you. We will make sure our investigators come out and understand, and we will prove you right if we made a mistake.”
Addressing the frustration some DC Water customers have experienced with the back and forth over who is responsible for the damage, Williams said, “You know, we go through a claims process and we rely on our partners to do that “Insurance business.”
What one advocate says: DC Water should change
There's a lot of room for improvement, said Paul Schwartz, co-founder of the Campaign for Lead Free Water, a nonprofit that advocates for clean drinking water.
“We need DC Water and its customer service representatives to be better trained and supported to address these real concerns of people in our communities,” he said.
Schwartz said DC Water's program needs to improve customer relationships. It must first be ensured that homeowners know their rights and what they may be responsible for before work can be carried out on the main supply lines.
“The contract that's being presented to people right now is clearly written by lawyers, by people who have a hard time understanding it, and it attempts to shift liability and concerns onto the public,” Schwartz said. “This script needs to be flipped.”
Williams responded: “We don’t want you to feel like you’re giving up your rights. We want you to understand why that is and that is good feedback to share with some of our customers who feel the claims process may need some improvements.
It's unclear how the plan will be funded and whether there could be any costs to utility consumers. News4's Mark Segraves reports.
Williams said it is important for DC Water to provide first-class service.
“I want you to understand that we are making every effort to ensure that the incidents that have occurred are mitigated and do not recur, and that you are our first priority.” “Our customer is crucial to us,” she said.
Neither the Taylors nor Interdonato agreed to settle the claim for partial payment because they did not want to sign the waiver required by the insurer.
“We’re not looking for payoff – we’re looking for normality. And when we realized that wasn't going to happen, it was honestly a slap in the face for us,” said Michael Taylor.
Interdonato said he is grateful for his new water line, which he said is working well, but he is still frustrated by the damage to his home.
“They are the ones who get the credit when it is done well, and they should be the ones who take the blame for the problems that have arisen as a result of their own work,” he said.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the lead pipe replacement program, call DC Water's Lead Service Line at 202-787-4044 or email [email protected]. Residents can submit complaints to the Ombudsman.
Reported by Tracee Wilkins, produced by Rick Yarborough, shot and edited by Jeff Piper
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