GREECE, N.Y. — When five water main breaks happened in less than 24 hours on one road in Greece, the geyser of water threw thousands of rocks on top of a house and cars.

“This is one of my vehicles with a broken rear hatch,” said Ashley McCullough, who recorded the damage to her cars and house on Straub Road.

The water dumped all the rocks onto the windshields.

“That’s what our whole life is surrounded by, is our cars. So the fact that those got damaged and may even be totaled is just very upsetting,” McCullough said.

For two of the cars, she pins the damage at $5,600. A third one was damaged too.

In cases like this, the cost almost always falls back onto the homeowner. Local laws called “notice of prior defect” and court decisions say government entities – like the Town of Greece and the County Water Authority – are not on the hook to pay.

That’s what Diane Gowin learned when a water main break happened in front of her home about 25 years ago.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “How bad was the damage from that break?”

Diane Gowin, homeowner: “It was right in front of our home. And it was 35 feet deep.

Berkeley: “Holy cow.”

Gowin says the damage inside and outside her home was $8,000.

Berkeley: “What explanation did you get that they weren’t responsible for paying for the damage?”

Gowin: “The water authority said we didn’t get them written notification that we had old water mains under the road.”

Berkeley: “What did you think when the town and the water authority weren’t responsible for the damage?”

Gowin: “I flipped out. I flipped out. Our washer, our dryer, those had to be replaced.”

The Monroe County Water Authority says if people file a claim they review each one and pass it on to its insurance company.

Four years ago the Authority was sued by an insurance company over the cost of damages from a water main break in Fairport. The case settled in 2023.

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