Who pays for the water when a pipe bursts? Your city may be able to help

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — When pipes burst and water sprays everywhere, who pays for all that water?

Channel 2′s Veronica Griffin spent the day Tuesday asking several water metro districts that exact question.

She also found one city of South Fulton neighborhood homeowner Terry Francis said the water ran nonstop for at least an hour over the weekend because of a burst pipe in the garage.

However long it was, he knows a big water bill is likely coming his way.

The sights and sounds of water pouring from the ceiling greeted Francis as he stepped out of his home and into his garage on Sunday.

“I just happened to come out to the garage and saw it. Like, wow,” Francis said.

Not the Christmas Day wish he and the countless number of homeowners throughout the Atlanta metro had wished for.

The good news is that many of the water authorities like the city of Atlanta, Cobb County and Henry County told Griffin that they have policies in place that will allow customers to apply for some credit on their water bill.

“That was my first thought -- what is this going to cost me?” Francis said.

Francis said he’s lived in the Atlanta metro since the mid-1990s and never imagined he’d be faced with frozen pipes.

“I been in Atlanta since 1994. I been here when we never talked about winter. And now we talk about it all the time,” Francis said.

You can go to your water providers’ website to get information on how to apply for a credit.

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