In 1985, the City of St. Louis approved Ordinance #59363, which established a Service Line Insurance program for residential water service lines.
Water Line Insurance covers the maintenance of eligible residential customers’ water lines from the main in the street up to and including the customers’ stop boxes. The residential property owners remain responsible for the maintenance of the line from the stop box to the house/building. The property owner actually owns the entire service line, including that portion covered by the insurance program. The insurance program, therefore, only covers certain maintenance and repair costs; it does not cover liability for damage or accidents.
If, however, the leak is located within any public street, alley, right-of-way, or easement, it is the duty of the City Water Division to repair that leak. There is a surcharge of $3.00 per quarter on the water bills of all flat rate residential accounts and metered residential accounts to provide the funds needed to pay the cost of these repairs.
Only the Board of Aldermen has the authority to increase or decrease this surcharge, based on recommendations from the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, who review the surcharge when provided a written report by the Water Commissioner every six (6) months. The Board of Estimate and Apportionment will only ever recommend an increase sufficient to cover the anticipated costs of the program, and will recommend a decrease in this surcharge if it determines the existing level is higher than necessary.
Information about the city’s ordinances can be looked up online at https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-laws/ordinances/.
