It’s a sad reality that underground water pipes rarely break or leak at convenient times.

More often than not, pipes burst at night when it’s cold or raining. And when those pipes need repairing, it often requires cutting a large swath out of a road to access the pipe.

If the cuts aren’t filled and repaired immediately, they can become flooded with water and mud and ultimately compromise the structural integrity of the road.

Improper repairs can also result in large dips and potholes that can lead to a loss of wheel covers and vehicle front ends knocked out of alignment.

It’s at that point Limestone County’s commissioners often receive angry phone calls from residents. The commissioners don’t order the cuts in the road, but they often hear of the negative consequences.

To that end, the Limestone County Water & Sewer Authority is proposing a partnership that would enable commissioners to repair water line cuts faster and correctly. LCWSA Engineer Alton Hethcoat discussed the proposal at Wednesday’s County Commission work session.

LCWSA has hired a company to repair and replace underground pipes, but the company also has work in Madison and Huntsville. Because of that, the company can’t repair the roads as quickly as commissioners would like.

“You guys are the ones who get the calls,” Hethcoat told commissioners. “You’re better equipped to do it and can meet (work demands).”

Hethcoat asked if the commissioners could supply LCWSA with a list of capital road projects, which would then be compared with LCWSA’s project list. He explained the utility has a 17-phase improvement program to upgrade old components to accommodate system growth demands.

That program will undoubtedly require cuts be made across county roads to access water lines that may need repairing or replacing.

“If we knew what your schedule is, we could move some of the projects forward and reprioritize them to be concurrent with your paving upgrades,” Hethcoat said.

More importantly, he said, having commissioners assume responsibility of repairing the road cuts would ensure those repairs are done to county specifications, using the preferred fill and patching material.

District 4 Commissioner Ben Harrison said county crews would likely be able to repair utility cuts the same day, in most cases. He’s also excited by the prospect of being able to back fill those cuts with the proper materials to ensure longevity of the road.

While Hethcoat’s proposal received raves from commissioners, he said an agreement would still need to be drawn up between the utility and the county. The agreement would include the rate by which the LCWSA would reimburse the county for labor, time and materials and covers the pay of the county employee and the cost of employee benefits.

District 3 Commissioner Jason Black said it’s not uncommon for his crew to go ahead and repair utility-related road issues requiring immediate attention. Black explained he plans to pave 20 to 25 miles of roads in his district this year, so it makes sense for water line repairs to be made before paving starts and not after paving is completed.

“We’ve never been reimbursed, but we’ve done whatever we had to do to fix it,” Black said. “I love this idea because we get a little bit back for something (the LCWSA) had to do.”

There is no timeline for when such an agreement would be approved by the commission and the LCWSA board.