Independence was subject to three water main breaks in short succession last week, all along Independence Station Road, near the Kenton County Golf Course. Now, residents are left to deal with the fallout.
“We saw in the road, there was water shooting up everywhere,” said Lauren Hunter, who lives near the water main.
Hunter’s house is one of at least two properties that experienced damage as a result of the main breaks. Her family’s house is down the hill from where the break occurred, putting it in the direct line of the water flow.
“Water main breaks can be caused by several different factors,” the Northern Kentucky Water District said in email to LINK nky. “While the exact causes of the breaks are unknown, NKWD suspects that the dry soil conditions were a factor.”
The first break occurred at around 11:30 in the morning on July 24. The water district dispatched crews, who were able to repair the break in about fours.
Unfortunately, as soon as the water was turned back on, a second break occurred along an adjacent section of pipe. That repair took about two hours to fix.
Hunter said that within a matter of minutes upon arriving home on the day of the first breaks, her basement filled with water.
Tough times are likely ahead for Hunter and her fiance, Cody Wildeboer. Wildeboer suffered nerve damage following a spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He’s currently undergoing rehab to regain his mobility–they were actually coming home from a rehab appointment when they first saw the flooding. Hunter, on the other hand, is a teacher who’s currently not working for the summer.
“Within a matter of maybe three minutes, my whole basement, my garage was completely flooded,” Hunter said.
Hunter called Thompson Restoration out of Fort Thomas to come and rectify the damage.
“The water restoration company got all the water out,” Hunter said. “They had to cut a little over six feet of drywall in my house, and they took out the carpets, the bathroom. They took all of that stuff out. The insulation in my garage and all around my basement.”
Although the restoration company was able to handle the initial flooding, another break happened on Friday. Hunter’s house filled with water again, and all of the items that she’d managed to save in the first flood, which she’d moved into the garage, were now ruined. When LINK nky interviewed Hunter on Tuesday, fans and other restoration equipment were still running in her house.
“NKWD, in an abundance of caution, decided to replace the pipe sections entirely (36 feet) to minimize the chance that another break would happen on those sections of pipe,” the water district said. “It took approximately 7.5 hours replace the pipe and turn the water back on.”
About 700 customers on over 30 streets lost water service as a result of the breaks. At least one other family’s house experienced water damage, LINK nky learned, but they could not be reached for comment.
Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman confirmed that residents had contacted him about the matter. He said he’d been in contact with the water district to find a solution and that “hopefully, we’ve gotten it taken care of.”
Hunter estimated the damage to her property to be in the thousands. Both she and the water district confirmed that a claim will be made to the water district’s insurance carrier to determine liability. The district said that in cases where water main breaks lead to property damage, complimentary extraction services are provided.
Hunter’s extended family is soliciting meal donations online to help them in the meantime.
