Customers report suspected water main breaks, fire-hydrant leaks, and service-line issues to the Buffalo Water Authority's 24-hour dispatch line; private-side leaks remain the property owner's repair responsibility.
The Buffalo Water Authority operates a 24-hour emergency line for reporting visible water main breaks, sinkholes from suspected leaks, geysers, hydrant damage, and discolored water. BWA crews respond to incidents on the public main and the curb-stop side of the service line at no cost. From the curb stop into the home, the property owner owns the service line and pays for repairs, although some leak-credit relief is available on metered bills if the customer documents a hidden leak that has been promptly repaired. Reports may be made by phone or via 311.
Failure to repair a known private-side leak can lead to elevated bills, discontinuance under BWA tariff rules, or lien for non-payment after notice.
See how Buffalo's leak reporting duty rules stack up against other locations.
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