HIGH POINT, N.C. — About eight years ago, Tracey Payne and her husband went looking for a new home. The couple looked at several properties before finally choosing a ranch-style home in High Point.
“I actually love my house. My house [I think] is actually very cute, [there are] a lot of things I like about it for sure,” Payne said.
The home has a large front yard with a fence that’s about 10 feet off the road. The single-story home is on a quiet street with lots of trees and shade in the neighborhood.
The home is old, so Payne and her husband expected to make some repairs and planned on some upgrades after they bought it. One of the unexpected repairs took place late last year.
“My husband got home one day, and he was walking out to the front, and it was like a swampy area,” Payne said.
A plumber was called and informed the couple their main water line was busted.
“When we got all the dirt away (from the pipe), it was spewing (water) out the sides,” Payne said.
The repair was probably going to cost at least $1,000 or more, but it needed to be fixed. Payne gave the okay for the plumber to repair the pipe.
“He said I can’t do it; we were like why and he said come here,” Payne said.
The plumber showed them a four-foot-wide storm drainpipe that was sitting directly below the main water line. He then showed them the unstable ground, and he feared a collapse. He said there were also rules about running water lines too close to storm drainpipes and he would have to get permission from the city.
Payne called the city about the storm drainpipe and asked if they could assist in the repairs and the stabilizing of the land. Payne was also concerned that the storm drainpipe had been leaking through the years. After reaching out to the city, Payne received a call a few days later.
“They told me (the pipe) was more than 10 feet from the road it’s your problem,” Payne said.
The storm pipe runs horizontally to the road under Payne’s property. The pipe then turns right on the side of their house and continues in that direction before weaving its way off the property.
City officials told WFMY News 2 it is not unusual for part of the storm drainage system to be on private property. In this case, the pipe zig zags back and forth from city property or (right of way) to private property.
The problem for the Payne’s is that the section of pipe that was under their water line, and the section they believe is leaking is on their property so it’s their responsibility.
“They (the city) is saying it’s not their problem, but we are not allowed to do anything to it because it’s part of the water system,” Payne said.
The Paynes had thought about simply capping the pipe on both ends but were told if they did that and there was a flood that damaged property or homes, they could be liable.
As for the repairs to their water line, the plumber reached out to the city inspector to make sure he could legally repair the line. A city employee told the couple they could make the repairs, but the plumber still wanted an inspector to sign off.
“It was horrible. You couldn’t wash dishes, couldn’t cook; I mean it was expensive,” Payne said.
All this back and forth with the city went on for about a month before Payne’s husband had enough and went to the hardware store and bought the materials to fix the water line himself.
“My husband was like I’m done. I’m getting water to my house,” Payne said.
Figuring he had a letter from the city saying he could fix the line, he wasn’t waiting around for the plumber to get an inspector to sign off. That after he ran a new water line from the city line to his house.
“We went a month without water because of all this,” Payne said.
Once she was told the storm drainpipe was her responsibility, Payne did some checking into replacing the pipe. She said just the cost of the pipe that runs under her property would be a little more than $40,000.
So, for now, the storm pipe remains under her yard as is, and there is little she can afford to do. Payne does at least have the water to her house back on; since her husband did the work, they didn’t have to pay a plumber.
She also uncovered or in this case, unearthed something many of us may not know. There could be a storm drain pipe running through your yard and if it bursts or needs fixing, it’s your responsibility, not the city's.