Insurance for Water & Wastewater Projects
Treatment plants, pump stations, stormwater systems and pipelines serve whole communities. A problem can affect public health, breach a permit or flood property.
Pollution is central to this work, and many professional liability policies exclude it unless it is added back.
Why Water Work Is Different
Plants that cannot meet discharge or drinking water limits face fines and costly fixes.
Sewer overflows and spills are pollution events with cleanup and third-party claims.
Stormwater systems are tested by storms larger than the design event.
For example: the permit the plant could not meet
Eighteen months after an upgrade, a wastewater plant still exceeds its nitrogen limit. The utility pays fines and hires a second engineer to redesign part of the process, then claims both costs from the original design firm.
Fines are often not recoverable, but redesign and rework can be. The design basis, the influent data the firm was given, and its startup services decide the outcome.
Hypothetical example for illustration. Coverage for any claim depends on the policy terms and the facts.
Water & Wastewater: Common Questions
Does my professional liability cover a sewage spill?
Only if pollution is covered. Many design professional forms exclude pollution unless it is added back, so it is worth checking.
Are regulatory fines covered?
Generally not, although defending the underlying claim may be.
What is the difference between contractors pollution and professional pollution coverage?
Professional pollution covers claims that your design or advice caused a pollution loss. Contractors pollution covers pollution caused by work you perform in the field. Firms that design and also do field work often need both.
Disciplines Most Active on Water & Wastewater Projects.
Tell Us About Your Firm. We’ll Tell You What We See.
Starting out or renewing, with a policy in hand or not. If something is worth discussing, we’ll call. If not, we’ll say so.