Water Leak Repairs & Responsibilities
Buffalo Mountain Metropolitan District (BMMD) is responsible for maintaining and replacing water and sewer mains throughout the Wildernest service area, while property owners are responsible for maintaining and performing repairs to personal property water and sewer service lines and related infrastructure which runs underground from the District main connection all the way into a home. This article provides helpful tips to maintain personal property infrastructure, what to do in case of a water leak, and financial responsibilities.
Visit BMMD’s website for more detailed information, complete Codes and Regulations, and for recommended repair and maintenance contractors https://bmmd.colorado.gov. If you need assistance, please call BMMD at (970) 513-1300.
Interior Leaks, Shutoff Valve - The interior shutoff valve is usually located near the water meter where the water line enters the building in a crawl space, mechanical room, or garage etc. Make sure to turn the valve on/off at least once a year to keep it operational.
Exterior Leaks, Curb Stop Valve – The exterior curb stop shutoff valve is usually located near the property line at the street and has a 3” round metal lid that is normally flush with the ground. If your property service line has a leak outside, you will need to use this curb stop valve to shut off the water. Operating the valve requires a special metal “key” to turn the valve. The valve itself is around nine feet (9’) deep so you’ll need a plumber or BMMD’s help to shut off the water. Protect this infrastructure! Marking the valve with a snow stake or delineator will help find it in the winter and keep it identified if repaving the driveway. Please contact BMMD if you need help finding or testing your curb valve and we will GPS the coordinates and save it in our GIS mapping system for future reference. Make sure to turn the valve on/off periodically to keep it operational.
Exterior Leaks, Investigation & Repairs – Once an exterior water leak is discovered and reported to BMMD, the water department will immediately investigate to determine the source of the leak. If the investigation finds a leak on a private service line, the property owner must repair immediately. If satisfactory progress toward repairing said leak has not been initiated by the property owner after notice, BMMD may shut off water service if there is excessive water loss or until the leak has been repaired. If the property curb stop valve is broken and water is unable to be shut off, BMMD is authorized to immediately repair the private line leak and charge the full cost to the property owner.
Unknown Exterior Leak Source - If BMMD is unable to determine during the investigation whether a leak, break, failure or other condition exists within a District main or within a personal property service line, the BMMD is authorized to immediately perform an emergency repair. All nearby property owners will be notified of the leak in the neighborhood and if the source of the leak, break or failure is caused by a personal property service infrastructure, all such emergency repair costs will be charged to the property owner.
Tips - Property owners can reduce liability of emergency repair costs by making sure the property has a working curb valve. Knowing the location of your underground service lines may also save you thousands of dollars in excavation fees. Every property owner should have a copy of the property “as-builts” site plan showing the location of the water/sewer service lines. This will be a valuable tool in an emergency situation if the plumber or excavator knows the location of underground service lines.
Financial Responsibilities – Exterior service line leaks can be very costly, especially in winter. Costs can include but are not limited to: Excavation equipment, labor for all repair personnel, road or driveway repaving, revegetation, etc. Costs to repair a private property service line leak costs on average between $9k - $18k in Summit County. In some cases, duplex properties share service lines so repair costs will be split. Larger HOA properties share one master line so costs will be paid by the HOA. Unfortunately, exterior infrastructure is NOT covered under homeowners insurance and must be paid out-of-pocket by the property owner.