If you have water showing up in the from of your home it is important not to ignore the water leak. First be mindful that the water main leak may not be coming from your pipe. It is a major misconception, just because the water is in front of your house it does mean the leak is from you line.
Do not ignore the water and assume it is going to cost you thousands of dollars to fix the leaking pipe. You should definitely call the Department of Environmental Protection to research where the leak is coming from. They will perform a noise test on your pipe. If they are not 100% sure that the leak is from your pipe, they will begin attempting to enter neighboring houses.
Hopefully they are quick to locate the leaking main and do not have to research for multiple days. Their is great risk if DEP takes days before identifying the leak. The leak may end up causing damage to neighboring properties. Unfortunately most insurance companies will not cover this type of damage, especially when the city is involved.
If it was determined your pipe is leaking you should call a licensed master plumber for a second opinion. The plumber should perform the same exact noise test as DEP. Any licensed plumber will be quick to conclude on a professional opinion.
Resolving your leak
If your plumber questions the leak, you should call DEP back to the house right away. All you have to do is call the phone number on your 3 day notice. You will let the city know that your licensed plumber does not think your pipe is leaking and it requires additional testing.
If the final conclusion is that your water line is leaking, you now have three days to resolve the leak.
The same licensed plumber should assist with obtaining all of the required permits before opening the roadway. A new copper water line installation will take one full day. Your plumber will submit a final report to DEP for record purposes.
Advise the city to check city records if they have any questions about the new water line. You can also ask them to contact your licensed plumber who will verify that the leaking pipe has been replaced.
