Sellersburg weighs lawsuit against contractor after water main break

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- Town leaders are considering a lawsuit to recover damages suffered by businesses in a recent water crisis.

The town issued a boil water advisory from Nov. 13 to 15 after a contractor for the Indiana Department of Transportation struck a water main while laying digital fiber, town officials said.

Town attorney Jake Elder told WDRB the contractor, MCI Metro Access Transmission Services, has an insurance policy of $1 million.

Meanwhile, Sellersburg businesses affected by the water problems told town officials that they wondered whether they can recover damages — and when the council might implement a permanent fix.

Garland Combs, a manager at Coffee Crossing, on U.S. 31, said it’s obviously frustrating to have to close the shop.

“If the water advisory lasts for more than a day we have to start thinking of where we can bring the ice from,” he said.

Devin Bryant, who co-owns Rubbin’ Butts BBQ, said that without water, running a restaurant is difficult.

“It still kind of just sucks because you want people to come in and enjoy the atmosphere, the drinks and the food and you can’t really do that without water,” he said.

Two days without income is a hit financially, especially for smaller, independently owned businesses. Nearly 50 businesses lost water or were affected by the boil water advisory.

Elder said the town would tally damages, lost wages and overtime to present them to the contractor.

“We know we have some. We just don’t know to the extent,” he said. “Once we know then I will be able to advise the board accordingly what the next legal steps would be.”

While the town has a master plan that includes improving its decades-old water system, some Sellersburg residents, including Tony Dishman, say the next water boil advisory is a matter of not if, but when.