Easement FAQ’s

Who decides how fast a repair has to be made?
The Field Supervisor makes that decision, and the Board will be very reluctant to override his decision.

What determines how fast a repair has to be made?
The rough list of rules looks like this.

1. Domestic water breaks that prevent drinking water from getting to more than one home. – Fix immediately
2. Domestic water breaks that prevent drinking water from getting to your home only. – We would prefer to fix this immediately, but if you are willing to go without water we may be able to be flexible. But don’t expect the District to buy you bottled water because you want to delay the repair to a more convenient time.
3. Irrigation pipe breaks that prevent irrigation from getting to many homes. – This has to be fixed quickly so we can get the line back in service and try and get back on the irrigation schedule. Generally that means fix it right now and then wait up to 24 hours for the glue or mortar to dry enough to put water back in the line.
4. Irrigation pipe breaks that prevent water from getting to a small number of homes – Fix within a few days and reschedule irrigation for the handful of affected homes.
5. Irrigation pipe breaks we can work around – Once in a while there is a break where we can put a temporary plug in a pipe and route the water through other pipes, or the break is small enough that it creates a local mess, but we can still serve other neighborhoods. In this rare case the District might wait several days before repairing the pipe.

Does the District’s announcement mean I can fence my easement?
Not necessarily. There could be other restrictions that apply to the same portion of your property as the CHCID easement. The two most common restrictions would be an Ingress/Egress easement or CC&R’s that apply to your neighborhood.

What can the District tell me about Ingress/Egress easements?
Ingress/Egress easements are setup so that all homes have a way to reach public roads, and may also be called private road agreements. We don’t keep track of them because they don’t directly affect us. Your Title Insurance Company should be able to tell you if there is such an agreement that affects your property.

What if I plant trees on my easement?
That is not recommended because if the roots get into the water pipes and cause damage the District will hold you responsible for the damage your trees caused. Also it takes years to grow a good tree. If the District has to pull it out to make a repair it will take years for a new tree to grow back. Why not plant something that will grow back quickly instead?

What about my dogs?
The District has some portable fencing to try and keep animals out of the easement during repairs. Sometimes it will work for dogs and sometimes it won’t. That depends on your dogs size and whether the dog is aggressive. If there is a dog that our fence won’t contain and we can’t reach you, then we will call Maricopa County Animal Control to remove the dogs.

Will the District only enter my easement during an emergency like a pipe break?
No, there are non-emergency reasons why the District would be on the easement. Inspection and routine maintenance of pipes and valves would be the most common reason.

I signed the old customer service agreement that was more restrictive.
The new easement policy applies to you whether you sign a new agreement with the new language or the old agreement with the more restrictive language. If you would feel more comfortable coming in to the office to sign the new version that is fine, but it is not necessary. The new rules apply to everybody.