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Resident seeks city review after 2022 waterline break that damaged home
Summary
A Springville resident urged the council to investigate a Nov. 4, 2022 waterline break that he says destroyed a family home; council members agreed to schedule a work session with legal and engineering staff to review the matter and provide a clear city response to the resident and his insurer.
Craig Lowe, a Springville resident, told the City Council on Tuesday that a waterline break on Nov. 4, 2022, severely damaged a family home and property and that he has been unable to secure a satisfactory response from the city. Lowe described sinkholes across the property, the road sinking about 2 feet and a house that "dropped 6 inches," and said his insurance investigators told him the damage was caused by a city waterline break.
"I got a call from my nephew who said that my grandma his grandma's house had been ruined and destroyed. Water line broke, sunk the road about 2 feet, put 4 sinkholes across my property... House dropped 6 inches. Basically, it's a total loss," Lowe said on the record.
Council members and staff responded that the matter involves legal and insurance issues and that additional review is needed. A staff member (Troy Fitzgerald) said the city could convene a work session and that the legal department would prepare a clear written response outlining the city's position. "If the council's interested, we can certainly do a work session on it, but I certainly can also commit to have the legal department make sure that he has a clear response as to what the city's position is," Troy said.
Council members agreed to schedule a work session to gather engineering, legal and insurance information and to allow Lowe to attend and present materials. Staff said they would assign a staff member to coordinate with Lowe to collect documents he wants the council to review in advance of the work session. The council did not make a legal determination or take action on liability during the meeting.
Lowe said he is facing what he estimated as a $700,000 loss, that prior offers on the property were declined and that he wants a timely response so he can provide information to his insurance company. Staff said the work session would provide the opportunity for the legal and engineering departments to present their findings to the council and that staff would ensure Lowe had an opportunity to speak during that session.
No formal action was taken at the meeting beyond scheduling the work session and directing staff to assemble relevant reports; the council indicated it would notify Lowe when the work session is scheduled.
