CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A local pediatrician who discovered a water leak outside his office will be reimbursed by the city after initially being denied payment.
Dr. Farooq Husayn found water leaking in front of his Southside medical office about six weeks ago and immediately contacted the city water department for assistance.
"They looked at it and they said it was not the city pipe. It had to be our pipe. But they didn't do any digging. So I was like surprised," Husayn said.
The leak continued for days while Dr. Husayn's plumber checked the water meter and confirmed the leak wasn't coming from his clinic.
"We're wasting water. I mean it's a state of restrictions and I felt something had to be done," Husayn said.
Taking matters into his own hands, Dr. Husayn hired a plumber who excavated the area and discovered the water was indeed coming from a city pipe. The city then fixed the leak and assured Husayn he would be reimbursed for the $1,200 repair.
However, when Husayn filed the claim, the city rejected it, citing statutory immunity.
"I think if I didn't have a happy resolution, I would tell all my friends, neighbors in my city that if you see a problem, don't report it. Or if you report, don't do anything about it," Husayn said.
After KRIS6 News contacted the city about Husayn's case, he received a call from city officials promising to process the reimbursement.
Corpus Christi Water told KRIS6 they respond promptly to service calls and followed standard protocol. They said the city cannot use public funds to repair privately owned water lines. Once the true source was identified through excavation, they resolved the issue within 90 minutes.
When asked for further clarification, the city's legal staff referred KRIS6 News back to the statement from Corpus Christi Water.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
