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To the editor:

Over twelve years ago my sump pump started running every 15 to 20 minutes both day and night and all year long. Of course we had called the City Utility for them to look for a leak. They tested the water from the sump and said it was ground water. We thought it was then coming from an old farm tile that was in the area. We had a construction company come and dig looking for that tile that we thought got closed. We paid $600 for this dig and found no sight of tile.

Many people including neighbors, saw us pumping all this water. It was costly and a constant worry, and extra work. We had gone to the utility meetings to discuss the charge of paying $50 a month for pumping into the sewer- in the winter. Yes! $50 a month for pumping what they (The City) called ground water!

A couple weeks later, I saw water seeping out of the pavement at the west end of my driveway. I called the City Utility in May 2015. A week later they dug up from there – on the street-as far as the East side of my house. SO MUCH CITY WATER. A week after the leak was fixed, my pump stopped pumping. I didn’t start pumping any water until after the second rainfall in Nov 2015. Hmmm? The City says I was pumping ground water, but a city pipe in the road is fixed and suddenly the ground water stops? REALLY?

So now that the water has dried up FINALLY, I have a severely cracked driveway, my front porch has sunk and needs to be jacked up and four doors to my house which I had to replace because they didn’t fit when there was so much water, now have to be replaced because now with the water dried up the doors now all rub.

We have asked the City for some kind of compensation, they turned it into their insurance company “League of MN Cities.” The adjuster was out to look in summer after the road was fixed in 2015. A letter was sent November 2015 and the insurance company does not feel the city is negligent for any damages as they inspect all water supply lines annual for leaks REALLY? They will NOT pay for any of the water we pumped for 12 years or any compensation for any repairs I now have to do because of a leak in the road that finally got fixed and stopped the water.

Tell me, if this was a leak in your yard, would the City want you to pay for what they had to fix on their side due to the damage water would have caused to city property? But if it is the other way around the City does nothing for you. Is this really fair?

Barb Nelson

New Ulm

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