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We must not wait until we have a catastrophic failure in The ServLine leak protection program can change all of
a water system to focus on improving our infrastructure. Gov. Tim that — ServLine covers water loss without a deductible and will repair
Walz’s Local Jobs and Projects Plan authorized nearly $2 billion in or replace a customer’s water and sewer line. Award-winning call
infrastructure, with an estimated $300 million earmarked for water centers are available 24/7/365 and claims are serviced by a nationwide
infrastructure – a step in the right direction, but nowhere near enough network of licensed, insured and thoroughly vetted contractors. Hecla
to address all the improvements needed. Water Association offers this protection to their customers. ServLine
Minnesota Public Facilities Authority Executive Director Jeff works with rural water utilities in 18 states through an exclusive
Freeman noted that many systems have treatment plants that are affinity partnership with the National Rural Water Association and 28
several decades old and mains that date back to the Great Depression. State Rural Water Associations.
Smaller communities, however, have even more difficulty, because “Now when customers come in [with an overage bill], my
they have a smaller customer base to spread out the cost. Many people can say, ‘see this line item, LP, that’s leak protection,” Howard
smaller Minnesota communities struggle with meeting the financial said. “You have the ability to use this to cover over your average bill.”
and technical obligations for the water systems as their population – You can literally see the relief wash over these people when they
therefore their customer and revenue base – shrinks. realize they aren’t going to have to pay over their average.
Looking at the problem head-on, finding the funds for “You’re a hero. Before, you were the villain, but you’re the
infrastructure improvements of any sort are difficult, particularly in the hero now. Just to see that my staff doesn’t have to go home with their
water and wastewater industries, where revenues are rate-based and, shoulders all tight and their eyes all red, just to see what it did in my
in many places, those rates are artificially low. office, it’s worth it. The money is fantastic, but the increase in morale is
Many utilities, even larger ones with a broader customer why it works.”
base, are forced to increase their rates because, whether a utility is To find out how you can provide your customers with peace
addressing a current break or working to prevent a future one, both of mind, visit servline.com.
have considerable costs.
A Utah State University study found that water line breaks Ashley Shiwarski is a Director of Business Development for HomeServe.
increased almost 30 percent from 2012 to 2018. In addition, cast iron Ashley has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Robert Morris University
and asbestos cement pipes—which make up more than 40 percent and has a diverse background which includes customer service, financial
sales, insurance, and education. Over the past six years, Ashley has
of installed water mains—had increased breakages of more than 40 developed partnerships with over 200 municipalities and utilities,
percent over the same period, and more than 80 percent of cast iron making the National League of Cities Service Line Warranty Program
pipes are more than 50 years old. and the ServLine Leak Protection Program available and bringing peace
Cast iron corrodes faster than pipes made of other materials of mind to their residents.
and water treatment has changed in the decades since most mains
were installed, in ways that the original builders couldn’t have
predicted – and some chemicals may react differently to the cast iron
than those that the pipe was designed to convey.
There are an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year
in the United States. Most Americans receive their water through
pipes that are coming to the end of their usable lifespan of 75 to 100
years, according to the ASCE drinking water report card. Those failing
systems lose six billion gallons of treated water every day, or nearly 20
percent.
The report on drinking water notes drinking water is
delivered via one million miles of pipes across the country, and,
Offering utilities and their customers ongoing
although the quality of drinking water in the United States remains
high, legacy and emerging contaminants continue to require close
protection from the high costs of customer water leaks
attention.
The problem with upkeep is the expense, as many smaller
utilities don’t have the economies of scale to fall back on. Neither can
utilities count on the federal government to shoulder more than a Serving your
small portion, and little money is available at the state level.
States provide approximately $5.8 billion per year, usually local community
discounted loans through Clean Water State Revolving Fund September 13-16, 2021
programs. At that rate, it will take nearly 40 years to make the repairs
and upgrades needed by 2032. Wisconsin Center | Milwaukee, WI
An estimated 6.1 million water service lines are lead and on
the private side of infrastructure. It would cost $30 billion to replace all
lead service lines—many for which there are no records. It’s estimated
that approximately 0.5 percent of these lead service lines are replaced HomeServe has:
each year, and it will take two centuries to replace them at that rate.
Since service lines are the responsibility of the homeowner 900+
and many homeowners are unaware of that, they receive little to no The Conference for Water & Wastewater Utility Systems
Partners
maintenance. In addition, many homeowners call their local utilities Large & Small, Municipal & Rural
when a line fails, resulting in frustration when residents learn they are
responsible—and they have a large water bill because their meter Visit waterproconference.org for more information.
kept spinning while water gushed out of their service line.
Overview
When your staff is getting angry calls about high water bills 4 Million+
from their neighbors, morale takes a hit. Even if a utility can write off Customers
Aging infrastructure is causing more and more water leaks each year.
a portion of the bill or offer a payment plan, it can still be difficult for
Customer water leaks can negatively impact utility budgets, efficiency
customers to pay down the bill.
and customer perception. When a customer receives an abnormally
“We’d have mothers in here holding babies and crying
high water bill resulting from a leaking pipe or fixture, the utility is not
their eyes out, asking ‘how can I pay this?’” Tony Howard, Hecla Water 7 Million+
responsible but, in many cases, will partially adjust the bill. However, the
Association General Manager, said of lock up day. “The morale on lock Service Contracts
portion the resident must cover can still be beyond their means, leaving
up day was terrible. Some of the staff would feel like crying—I felt like
them with a long payment plan and a feeling of dissatisfaction with the
crying at some of these hard stories. They were sincere and doing their
water utility.
best to survive.” 1.3 Million
The ServLine Leak Protection Program is a win-win for water utilities and SPRING 2021 S MRWA TODAY 43S MRWA TODAY 43
SPRING 2021
their customers. Designed to protect all qualifying customers from this Repairs performed
potentially costly expense, ServLine also helps water utilities recapture in the past three years
lost revenue and bad debt associated with customer water leaks.
Additionally, the program unburdens the utility from the stress, effort
and time involved in the administration of the leak adjustment process. $454 Million
An affiliate partner of the National Rural Water Association and in repair costs saved by
numerous State Rural Water Associations, ServLine helps utilities lower
costs while enhancing customer peace of mind and satisfaction. customers in the past
three years
www.servline.com