Dear Owners,
Little Elk Creek Village Homeowner Association members have had many water leaks over the years on their service lines. A Homeowners service line is the entire length of the water line from the water main to the house. Near the end of the service line where it connects to the water main is the water shut off valve (curb stop valve) that has been marked with a blue stake. Since a water leak has the possibility of drastically affecting our subdivision’s water supply, it has been decided to put these procedures in writing, so all could understand the issues and the possible scenarios that might exist. Procedures have been established that limit the amount of time and money it takes to locate and repair these domestic water leaks.
- IMPORTANT: It is the responsibility of a Homeowner to contact the LECV Association president or Management Company immediately when there is any indication of a leak. It is the responsibility of each Homeowner to repair leaks on their service line in a timely manner, including any street repairs if necessary.
ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATION:
- A record of our water usage is kept throughout the year. It is through this record keeping that a leak can initially be detected and how many gallons we are losing, which can be upwards of 20,000-30,000 gallons daily!
- Management notifies the owners via email to be alerted of a leak in the system and to ask residents to watch for standard signs of water problems in their homes:
- noticeably reduced water pressure in the home
- hearing running water
- finding water in your crawl space
- pool of standing water outside the home along the service line
- The Association will then test segments of the main water line to determine the location of a leak in the system.
- Once a leak has been isolated to a specific segment of the water main, all residents on that segment will be notified specifically about the leak.
- The Association will then determine where the leak is located by focusing on each of the Homeowners service lines within that segment of the water main.
- In the absence of an immediate response or complete cooperation from the Homeowner, the Association may be required to shut off the water supply to that Homeowner’s property at the curb stop valve to limit problems to other Homeowner/residents in the subdivision.
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOMEOWNER:
- Again, it is the responsibility of each Homeowner to repair leaks on their service line in a timely matter.
- It is the Homeowner’s responsibility to know where his/her curb stop valve is located. Additionally, it is important this valve be in working condition. Testing this valve periodically is recommended.
- If there are any indications of a leak on a Homeowner’s line, the Homeowner/resident must alert the LECV Association President or Association Management immediately.
- The Association and the Homeowner will then determine the location of the leak.
- It is the responsibility of the Homeowner to cooperate with the Association while the location of the leak is confirmed.
- If a leak is determined at a specific Homeowner’s service line, one of two scenarios will unfold:
- Scenario #1: If the Homeowner/resident knows the exact location of the curb stop valve to the home and the valve works, the homeowner can arrange to turn off the water supply to the house, and fix the leak as he/she wants. However, if the leak is not repaired immediately, the Association can shut off service to that house as needed to limit problems to other Homeowner/residents in the subdivision.
- Scenario #2: If the homeowner does not know the precise location of the curb stop valve or the valve does not work, the Homeowner must contract with a company that will immediately remedy this problem. If the homeowner is unable to comply with this requirement, the Association and the homeowner will cooperatively determine and engage a company capable of remedying the problem with the least possible impact to adjacent Homeowners.
- If the pipe is old or in poor condition when the first leak is repaired, subsequent leaks are likely. Accordingly, it is often sensible to replace the entire length rather than repair it.
FOLLOWING REPAIR TO THE SYSTEM:
- All Homeowners in the vicinity of the repaired leak should check the aerators on the ends of any faucets and their showerheads to make sure dirt from the leak hasn’t plugged these up and decreased evident water pressure.
- Dirt accumulating in a toilet tank indicates that dirt has entered that home’s water system.
- Any Homeowner with a filter system should also check their filters to make sure they too are not clogged by dirt.