Newport News-Times: Water line flushing does not require home visits

Newport News-Times: Water line flushing does not require home visits: "Water line flushing does not require home visits


As Newport begins its project to flush water lines throughout the city, it was noted this work will not require public works employees to enter the homes of any city residents.

When a similar water line flushing project was done recently in Clackamas County, some residents of that area were visited by people posing as public works employees. But instead of coming to help, these people were there to help themselves - to the homeowner's possessions.

According to an article appearing in the Oregonian newspaper last week, two men claiming to be water inspectors were knocking on the doors of homes in the area where the flushing project was being done. These people were telling homeowners they needed to come inside the residence to check the water pressure because they were investigating flow problems in the neighborhood.

Other areas have also reported scams involving people posing as water inspectors in an effort to gain access to people's homes.

Newport Public Works Director Lee Ritzman advises Newport residents that 'there's no reason that any of our people should go into any homes as part of the flushing. All of the work that we're going to be doing should be done from the fire hydrants and the valves out in the streets.'

Ritzman did say, however, if a homeowner contacts the public works department to report problems with discolored water, 'We will respond to that call, and then we may go in if they invite us in, (but) the only way we'd be going into somebody's home is if we're responding to a call from them.'

He also said people can ask to see proper identification from city workers."