Ottawa homeowner's basement flooded after water meter replacement by city contractor

An Ottawa homeowner is dealing with a major mess and an insurance claim after a major leak in his basement.

Michael Wood discovered the leaky pipe a day after a city contractor replaced his water meter.

"I come down 24 hours later to put something in my freezer to find that there is a high pressure leak coming from one of the pipes," Wood said.

Water had been spraying from the pipe for hours in his basement without him knowing.

The City of Ottawa has contracted Neptune Technology Group to replace about 85,000 water meters with newer, more accurate meters.

Wood called his own personal house insurance to figure out what the process was and was told that Neptune is liable for the damages.

"I was told that it was a negligent install," said Wood.

Many of Wood's belongings have been ruined because of water damage. He also expressed concern about mould and other issues.

"The problem with right now for me is that the water has all come through the walls and flooded underneath. So my concern now, for mould and so on, they're going to have to tear down the walls," said Wood.

Neptune and the City of Ottawa fixed the leak and the City is suggesting that this is a problem with Neptune.

"The City of Ottawa can confirm that Neptune Technology Group is working with the resident in question to rectify the situation,” says Deputy City Treasurer Joseph Muhuni in a statement. “Work conducted by Neptune Technology Group is warrantied. Any issues or damages associated with a meter replacement would be appropriately covered through the Neptune Technology Group.”

When reached for comment, Neptune's senior project manager of services Will Hutchings said, "We are aware of the statement published by the homeowner; however, this matter is currently under investigation and we are not able to comment."

Wood is still figuring out the extent of the damage and says he is upset about the inconvenience.

"It now has been fixed by the City and Neptune but there was no water in my house for at least 12 to 14 hours yesterday."

The City says the leak will not affect Wood’s water bill since the leak happened before the water hit the meter.

“Water leaks that occur before the location of a water meter are not captured by the meter and are not billable to the client.”