Midtown is full of stately old houses, with charmless water and sewer lines that are costly to fix or replace.
A presentation Thursday to the city council told of a way out.
Kansas City is in a National League of Cities program that offers affordable insurance that covers water and sewer lines.
Councilman John Sharp, a man with an old home, said, “I think the program is really important for folks who have older homes.”
He noted that homes from about 85th Street to the Missouri River were originally built with galvanized water supply lines to the street. Those fail and are replaced by copper at high costs borne by the homeowners.
Many homes also have old clay tile sewer lines, he said, with joints that attract tree roots and break as ground shifts. Fixing or replacing the sewer lines costs big, but the insurance also covers minor blockages.
It costs $120 a year to cover both water and sewer lines or $73 a year to cover just sewer lines, which comes to $6.50 a month.
People needing a repair can call a 24-hour hotline for the program that pays up to $4,000 per response, with no limit on the number of calls.
The city gets a royalty for participating in the program and that money is used to help needy residents prevent water shutoffs and to support community gardens.
For questions or to enroll, contact Service Line Warranties of America at 855-999-8806 or go to www.SLW0fA.com
Who’s talking