DEP Rep To Explain Service Pgm.
Homeowners seeking more information about the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) new insurance program for sewer and water service lines are invited to attend the next Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association (MVPORA) this Monday night, Mar. 11.
As announced by MVPORA President Salvatore Candela and Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, the session will take place at 7:30 p.m. Monday at St. Margaret Parish Hall, located at 66-05 79th Pl., south of Juniper Valley Road.
Markey and the civic group have invited a representative from the DEP to attend the meeting and answer questions from the public regarding the new protection plan offered by the agency in partnership with American Water Resources.
As previously reported in the Times Newsweekly, the program is designed to prevent homeowners from incurring high costs in the event their water and/or sewer service lines-which connect to their homes from underground mains in the street-rupture and require repair.
Those who elect to participate in the program can pay $3.99 per month for water service line insurance and $7.99 per month for sewer service line protection. In the event repairs are needed, American Water Resources- which was contracted by the DEP to participate in the program- will perform the required work at little or no cost to the prop- erty owner.
Outside of the program, repairing a water line break generally costs between $3,000 and $5,000, while replacing a ruptured sewer line can cost between $10,000 and $15,000.
“I am pleased to team up with the Middle Village Property Owners to sponsor this meeting so residents of our community can get the information they need to understand the DEP initiative and decide whether or not this program is something that works for them,” Markey said in a press release.
“Many New York City homeowners are not aware that repairs to the water and sewer lines that turn from their home’s exterior to the mains in the street are their responsibility,” added Joseph F. Singleton Jr., a deputy commissioner for the DEP. “Recognizing that many residents are unprepared for the potentially high cost of repairs and that most homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover these costs, the DEP is pleased to introduce new programs to protect homeowners from such unexpected expenses.”
For more information about the program, call 311 or American Water Resources at 1-888-300-3570.
