Should manholes, fire hydrants, or sewer and water pipelines be scheduled?
The Pool provides coverage for underground (UG) pipes but only if they are within 1,000’ of a scheduled location and coverage is limited to damage from fire or explosion. If a district schedules manholes and UG pipelines, there is coverage for direct physical damage from anything not normally excluded.
You may wonder why district manholes and UG pipes should be scheduled. A few good examples are:
- Vehicle Damage: Lift stations, hydrants, and manholes have frequently been damaged by vehicles.
- Vandalism: Access through a manhole using foreign material in plugging the pipes can cause structural damage to the manhole.
- Explosion: Gasses built up in sewer systems have been known to propel covers and cause damage.
- Flood: During the 2013 flood, water and sanitation operations sustained $200 million in damage across the state from UG pipelines unearthed by rushing waters. Less than 10% were scheduled.
- Pollution: The Pool’s Pollution coverage form provides coverage only if district property is scheduled. For example, if a manhole overflows or a pipe burst spills pollutants but neither is scheduled, Pollution liability coverage would not apply. Districts have strict liability, so fault would not be dependent on negligence or intent to harm. Cleanup includes trained emergency response with the removal, hazardous waste storage and replacement of contaminated soils.
The Pool can cover manholes, fire hydrants, and all overhead, exposed, and UG pipelines. We can also cover specifically listed lift stations, and transom pipelines. In order to provide a proposal, we will need the location, replacement cost, date of installation, and the type and depth of each pipe or item.
Note: This article is a good faith effort to provide information regarding coverage specifics and does not guarantee any goods or services.
