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Fort Branch approves $830.74 refund after resident reports water damage; council authorizes sewer-lateral repair
Summary
A resident who experienced low water after a town repair was awarded reimbursement of $830.74 pending submission of a retailer receipt; the council also authorized repair work for a collapsed sewer lateral where mapping did not match field findings.
The Fort Branch Town Council approved a $830.74 refund to local resident Pat Trevor after plumbing work and parts were required following a town water repair that left apartments with low water flow. Trevor said the problem recurred on Christmas Day after the town's repair and presented receipts totaling $830.74; the council approved reimbursement but requested a missing Menards receipt for audit documentation before final processing.
Town manager Randy said crews had flushed the line after the repair and that excess sediment likely caused the problem. "We flushed from where the leak was to the set," Randy said, explaining the town's remedial steps. Council members approved a motion to refund Trevor, with the condition that she provide the missing retailer receipt for auditing purposes.
Separately, the council addressed a collapsed lateral reported by resident Chris Campbell Stewart on Bonded Hall. Televised inspection and field tracing showed the town maps did not match the field evidence; the location and route of the sewer line could not be definitively found without excavation and additional televising. Engineering recommended installing a new lateral and reconnecting the property to the nearest functioning tie-in point. Because local ordinance generally prohibits "piggyback" connections, the council made a record of the ordinance and voted to authorize the repair and reconnection if the property owner obtains neighbor permission for the tie-in.
Council members said the repair approach was a pragmatic response to uncertain mapping and the material condition of older lines; they noted the potential for future failure if old materials (for example, Orangeburg pipe) remain in place. The council motion authorized staff to proceed with the repair plan and documented that the decision was taken with the owner's neighbor permission noted on the record.
Next steps: staff will require written neighbor permission for the lateral reconnection, finalize engineering details and schedule the repair work.
