The restoration process usually begins with notification by WSSC Water Customer Care or Engineering Team that a water line or sewer main repair has occurred, resulting in roadway and/or landscaping impact. The WSSC Water Restoration Unit may also get notification from each county’s Department of Public Works, or a private citizen, that a road or residential landscape, recently impacted by WSSC Water work, needs repair. Upon receiving notification via a phone call or an email, the WSSC Water Restoration Unit researches any work done at the given address to confirm WSSC Water responsibility. If WSSC Water is responsible for the repair, the Restoration Unit creates a work order to initiate the repair.
The Restoration Unit can be contacted by phone at 301-206-8043 or by email at restoration@wsscwater.com.
The work order is given to a WSSC Water inspector for field review. The inspector travels to the repair location, marks the size of the needed repair on the street or landscape with street marking paint, and then writes all the dimensions and other information necessary for the paving or landscaping contractor on the work order.
Work orders are normally reviewed within 7 to 10 business days from the time of creation. However, weather (snow or rain) can delay the completion.
Once the review is complete, the repair information is entered into the work order tracking system and the work order is updated and issued to the paving contractor.
The paving contractor receives the work order and then schedules the repair. The paving contractor will typically complete work orders based on where in each county repairs are needed. WSSC Water has broken the two counties into six sections: East and West Montgomery County, and North, Central, Southeast and Southwest Prince Georges County. Again, weather (snow or rain) can delay the start or completion of the work order. In winter, the asphalt plants are often closed during very cold weather. This can extend the time necessary to complete the work orders.
The paving contractor has 35 calendar days to complete a normal repair on county roads. On a State of Maryland road (normally those with numbers, i.e. MD 214, MD 97, etc.) the contractor has 14 days to complete a repair. In an emergency situation, the contractor will respond immediately to the repair location. Again, weather can delay the start of repair efforts.
The main difference is that landscaping is very dependent on planting conditions. Normally planting is done in the early to mid-spring and early to late fall. If the weather is too cold or too hot, then our landscaping contractors will hold off on planting until conditions improve. In general, the landscaping repair should be completed with 35 calendar days. Homeowners are asked to water the new seed/sod for 15 consecutive days until the planting takes root.
After the contractor completes the repair, they sign off on the work order and turn it back into the WSSC Water Restoration Unit. The information is updated in the work order tracking system and the work order is given to the WSSC Water inspector for final inspection. The inspector returns to the location to verify that the repair was completed satisfactorily to the Commission’s standards. If it is not completed satisfactorily, then the work order is returned to the contractor for correction. If it is completed satisfactorily, the work order is closed in the work order tracking system.