Residents Say Con Ed Gas Transmission Line Damaged Sewer Laterals: Con Ed Denies Responsibility

After four years of jackhammers, excavations, road closures, repaving, detours, and disruption, residents of Fox Meadow and Greenacres thought the worst was finally over. A major Con Edison initiative—launched in 2021 to bury a large gas transmission line from White Plains through Scarsdale—left many residents deeply frustrated with the public utility. It was a multi-year project that often felt endless.

On some days, homeowners couldn’t get their cars out of their driveways. The constant jackhammering was deafening; at times, gas or water service was shut off without notice. And just when work on one stretch of road appeared complete, crews would return to dig it up again.

Even more vexing was the fact that residents were told that they would have no access to this gas which was headed for points south. Much of the work was done during a period when there was a moratorium on new gas lines – though utility rates continued to rise at a dizzying pace.

But by late 2025 it appeared that the work was complete. The Village got the utility to do curb to curb road repairs, so many of the roads were re-paved and in better shape than they were before the project began.

But now a new problem has surfaced. It seems that the new gas transmission line has impinged on the sewer laterals of as many as 50-60 homes on the west side of Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road.  The problem surfaced when a resident attempted to get a sewer discharge compliance certificate which is required before a home sale. The inspector found that the lines were compressed and damaged. And the cost for repairs?  $35,000 to $42,000, at the expense of the homeowner.

Unable to Sell the House

On Facebook, a realtor explained the issue which was holding up a home sale. She said: “I am trying to help a client and friend deal with tremendous hardship that was caused by Con Ed damaging her sewer pipes when Con Ed did work on Walworth Avenue. She has to pay $42,000 out of pocket to repair the sewer line to sell her house. Con Ed or its vendors compressed her sewer line while working on the gas lines on Walworth Avenue. This is evidenced by a plastic pipe added to her sewer by Con Ed during their work on the gas line. The Scarsdale Town is aware of this. Con Ed refuses to help repair their damages and has directed us to the insurance company for their vendor, Network infrastructure Inc. and their liability carrier. They in turn denied the claim and blame old roots and totally ignore the reason for the claim: negligent work Con Ed did on Walworth Avenue which compressed and damaged the sewer pipes for homeowners. The village maintains the position that homeowners are responsible for their sewer lines on their property and need to face the cost and consult their lawyers for advice on their options (more cost) although these homeowners did not know about the damages caused by Con Ed until they needed to sell. Is anyone else affected by this so that all those facing this hardship can join forces and have the utility company do the right thing and own their negligence?”

Addressing the issue at the March 24, 2026 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, Village Manager Alexandra Marshall said, “The Village is aware of problems with the Con Ed repair that crossed the sewer lines. Due to the repairs, the pipes may have settled and sagged. Con Ed is telling people to do the work themselves and submit claims rather than the utility making the repairs. We will be publishing an FAQ which will be available on the Village web page.”

Public Comments

Several residents came to the Village Board meeting to speak about the problem:

Walworth Avenue resident Joe Lawrence said, “Scarsdale has informed me that it is my lateral line to repair – at a cost of $35,000. There are 60-90 homes that could be in the same position. My neighbor sold her house 6 months ago but can’t get a C of O because of the lateral sewer line. Con Ed has never compensated us for the damage to our property from building a high capacity gas line.

Con Ed made $4.5 billion last year. The Village should be more pro-active in making sure this works. Maybe the project should have been deeper below our lateral lines. I am not going to wait 6-7 years for a lawsuit to be resolved. – I should have been informed that my property was being impinged.”

He came to the meeting with an enlargement of the letter he received from the Village – see below.

Dan and Dorian Glickenhaus from 11 Walworth said, “We put in a claim to Con Ed. They foisted us off to Network Infrastructure who did the lateral work. They claim our issue is from tree roots. There are no issues coming from trees – as there are no trees.”

“They are postponing to get to the statute of limitations. We have been dealing with this since July. They fixed the laterals on upper Walworth. It took 4 months to get the denial. I understand that the sewer lateral is our responsibility to the point where it meets the street. But this line has been modified by a contractor that was permitted by you.”

“Someone else should be responsible for 60 homes at $35,000 a home. The village needs to use all resources. We have written to Amy Paulin. We are not getting anywhere.”

Trustee Jeremy Gans sympathized, saying, “There is nothing more frustrating than feeling that you are not being heard. Have an attorney file something before the statute of limitations runs out. The Village cannot sue them – they have no standing.”

Mayor Justin Arest replied, “We will continue to pressure the utility. We are working with Amy Paulin’s office.”

He added, “We have gotten no benefit to us from the high pressure gas lines. We’re advocating and pushing at various levels of government. The Village hired an independent inspector to look at the lines before the road was closed. Hopefully we can work together to get you the outcome you are looking for.”

Comment from Assemblywoman Amy Paulin

Scarsdale10583 reached out to State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin who said, “I’ve been in touch on a regular basis with Con Ed, as well as the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Public Safety, to try to ensure that the residents affected are reimbursed for any repairs for damage that stemmed from work done on Walworth Avenue.”

Is the Gas line Active?

We also followed up with Village Manager Alex Marshall to find out if the gas line was in use. After years of planning and construction, and ostensibly millions of dollars spent, what happened to the high transmission line?

Marshall said, “To our knowledge, we don't believe the gas line is in use because the project has not been finished.” A memo from the Village explains, “There are several miles of pipe that still need to be installed, but Con Edison and its contractors are not actively working to complete the transmission main project in Scarsdale.”

That means that in addition to the costs incurred by individual homeowners to make these repairs, taxpayers financed a huge infrastructure project that is not in use. Could it be that a massive gas transmission line runs through the streets of Scarsdale conveying nothing? We reached out to Con Edison to confirm this but have not heard back.

We also asked her what might happen to homeowners who learn years from now that they line was impinged – after the statute of limitations run out.

She said, “The Village believes that Con Edison should conduct sewer lateral inspections on all impacted homes and that is what we continue to advocate for on behalf of all of the residents. Because we have been unsuccessful thus far, we felt it was important to notify residents of the potential issue so that they may seek legal counsel and potentially their own lateral inspection.  To your point about what happens 10 years from now and someone finds an issue, we are trying to avoid that by proactively communicating with the residents about this issue now so they can protect their interests.”

She directed residents to an FAQ on the Village website.

Following the meeting, Dan Glickenhaus, one of the affected homeowners, shared this letter with Scarsdale10583 which explains the issue:

To Scarsdale10583

I would like to bring to the attention of all residents on the west side of Walworth Ave. that Con Ed may have damaged your connection to the sewer under Walworth Avenue when their subcontractor re-connected your sewer lateral after laying the new gas lines a few years ago.

None of the homeowners were informed at the time that their sewer laterals, connecting them to the line under Walworth, needed to be removed and then replaced in order to lay the new gas line. Apparently, the lateral was not reinforced properly from below when it was installed, causing it to be compressed and damaged during the paving process.

This may or may not affect your home right away, but it will surely cause you to fail the video inspection (needed to obtain a sewer discharge compliance certificate) required of every homeowner before closing on a sale in Scarsdale. Some of us have filed claims with Con Ed, which foisted us off to their subcontractor, Network Infrastructure, which denied our claims.

Network Infrastructure denied the claims, despite video showing damage to the laterals. They cited "root intrusion" as the reason for denial. They obviously were not looking at the lateral, but at the sewer line leading from the house TO the lateral under the street, and that is not the issue.

Homeowners are certainly responsible for the sewer line from their homes to the street. All homeowners on the west side of Walworth should obtain a video inspection to see if there is an actual defect at the sewer lateral under the street for your connection. There is a statute of limitations coming up for new claims.

We have been trying to get the Town of Scarsdale to pressure Con Ed to address this issue. It will cost the homeowner $35-40,000 to correct the issue if Con Ed does not.

So far, Con Ed is ignoring the Town's requests, despite the fact that Scarsdale has stopped granting Con Ed permits to do work in the Town until the issue is addressed.

If your video shows sewer lateral damage, you should start a claim ASAP by sending the video and a letter to:

William Castro, Corporate Affairs Manager. : castrowi@coned.com and Cassandra “CJ” Garitta, Senior Staff Investigator/Litigation COE: claims@coned.com

Yours,

Dan Glickenhaus

11 Walworth Avenue
Scarsdale, NY

Joe Lawrence, from 7 Walworth Avenue wrote the following:

“It is important that the entire community know that Scarsdale is allowing Con Edison to dig up our streets, do damage to our plumbing and make us responsible for paying to fix it. Con Edison/Scarsdale has put a ticking time bomb in front of our homes, leaving about 60-90 residents unaware they are in a hole for the $35k sewer pipe repair. Con Edison has rejected several claims already, although the hired contractor and village acknowledged the damaged pipes.”

“I hope we can continue our dialogue with you and the Scarsdale community. We have lived in Scarsdale for 40 years and I was Scarsdale Volunteer Firefighter for many of them.”

He shared a copy of the letter from the Village of Scarsdale that was handed to him while he was gardening on March 18^, 2026L

March 18, 2026
Dear Resident:

You are receiving this letter because your property may have been affected by work performed by Con Edison's contractor during the installation of a gas transmission main along Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road.

During that project, sections of some private sewer laterals were replaced where they crossed the gas main. The Village has been advised that in some cases, defects have developed in these replacements. Specifically, connections between new and existing pipes may have separated, or sections of pipe may have settled and sagged.

These conditions can lead to sewer backups, the discharge of waste into the surrounding soil, and potential issues when conducting a required sewer lateral inspection if you decide to sell your home.

While Con Edison's contractor has previously repaired some of these issues when identified, we understand that Con Edison is now directing residents to submit claims rather than arranging repairs.

Because this work occurred several years ago, the statute of limitations may impact your ability to file a claim against Con Edison and/or its contractors. For that reason, you may wish to have your sewer lateral inspected (typically by a video inspection) to determine whether it has been impacted. If a defect is found, you may also wish to consult with legal counsel to understand any available options.

The Village did not perform this work and cannot directly undertake repairs on private sewer laterals. Please note that under Scarsdale Village Code § 244-12, property owners are responsible for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of private sewer laterals. However, we are actively advocating for Con Edison to take additional responsibility in addressing these issues and are sharing this information so residents can take timely steps to protect their property and their rights

Sincerely,

Alexandra H. Marshall
Village Manager

As of now, Con Edison, Network Infrastructure, the Village of Scarsdale and residents appear to be at a standoff. There are few good options for homeowners. If residents retain contractors to tear up the street, what happens if their contractor damages the Con Ed infrastructure? And if they do the work and Con Edison does not reimburse them, individuals are left bearing the cost of Con Ed’s negligence.

Furthermore, why did ratepayers finance a huge gas transmission line to nowhere?

Here is an FAQ on the matter, issued by the Village of Scarsdale on March 26, 2026

The Village of Scarsdale has issued the following about sewer laterals damaged along Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road when Con Edison installed a large gas main.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road Transmission Main

Q: What is the Transmission Main project?

Con Edison conducted a project (via contractor Network Infrastructure, Inc.) to install a gas transmission main along Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road in 2021.

During that project, sections of some private sewer laterals were replaced where they crossed the gas main. The Village has been advised that in some cases, defects have developed in these replacements. Specifically, connections between new and existing sewer lateral pipes may have separated, or sections of the pipe(s) may have settled and sagged. For additional information, private sewer laterals are the underground pipes which connect the home’s sanitary plumbing to the sewer main in the roadway.

Q: What is the timeline of events?

Summer 2021: Con Edison began the Gas Main Replacement Project, working along Walworth Avenue from Claremont Road south. As the project progressed, sewer laterals required relocation. Con Edison directed its contractor to perform the sewer lateral replacements and reconnections.

As part of this capital improvement project, Con Edison had their own inspectors for technical and quality control matters. Additionally, the Village retained an independent inspector to monitor the project. Based on subsequent failures, the Village believes that soil compaction performed during the backfilling and repaving phases by Con Edison or its contractors crushed multiple connections between the existing sewer laterals and the newly installed sections.

July 2024: The Village requested that Con Edison retain a Construction Management firm due to ongoing issues with the transmission main project, including the improper removal of Village drainage infrastructure and deteriorating road pavement conditions.

Summer 2025: The Village became aware of multiple sewer backups on Walworth Avenue.

These backups appear to be associated with damage in the areas of the prior sewer lateral work performed as part of the Con Edison project. Superintendent of Public Works Jeff Coleman sent a formal letter to Con Edison’s Corporate Affairs Manager requesting a reinspection of all sewer laterals repaired as part of the project.

Our understanding is that Con Edison initially directed its contractor to repair damaged sewer laterals as issues arose.

November 2025: Con Edison changed its response and began requiring affected residents to submit claims rather than facilitating repairs directly. Con Edison is requiring residents to file claims directly with its contractor.

Since September 2025: Superintendent Coleman has made multiple requests to Con Edison for additional information regarding these issues and the status of repairs. To date, no response has been received. Con Edison’s project manager has since been removed from the project and a new project manager has not contacted the Village. The Village Manager, Mayor and Deputy Mayor have also been in touch with Assemblymember Amy Paulin and her office. The Assemblymember has been actively seeking a positive resolution for impacted homeowners.

What is the current status of the project?

There are several miles of pipe that still need to be installed, but Con Edison and its contractors are not actively working to complete the transmission main project in Scarsdale.

Has Con Edison responded to these issues?

While Con Edison’s contractor has previously repaired some of these issues when identified, we understand that Con Edison is now directing residents to submit claims to its contractor’s insurance rather than arranging repairs.

Were the sewer laterals replaced with code compliant materials?

Yes, the installations were done with materials permitted under Village Code and inspected by the independent inspector retained by the Village. However, we believe that the method in which the areas were restored and repaved post-inspection resulted in subsequent sewer lateral defects.

Why hasn’t the Village repaired the connections?

The work was done by a private contractor working for Con Edison. The damage that appears to have occurred was done to residents’ private sewer lateral. Any damage caused directly or indirectly by Con Edison should be rectified by them.

The concept of a private sewer later is not unique to Scarsdale. Not only is it codified in

Scarsdale Village Code § 244-12, but it is also consistent with neighboring municipalities, county and state law, and has been practice in Scarsdale for many decades.

What can the Village of Scarsdale do?

The Village continues to actively advocate for Con Edison to take responsibility in addressing these issues, collaborating with our partners at the State level including Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, and keeping residents informed regarding their options.

The Village has sent communications and hand-delivered letters directly to potentially affected residents, sharing this information so they can take timely steps to protect their property and their rights. The Village will continue to do whatever we can to assist and advocate for our residents regarding this issue.

I believe my property was affected, what can I do?

Only homes along the gas transmission main on Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road are potentially impacted. However, because this work occurred several years ago, the statute of limitations may impact your ability to file a claim against Con Edison and/or its contractors. For that reason, you may wish to have your sewer lateral inspected (typically by a video inspection) to determine whether it has been impacted. You may also wish to consult with legal counsel to better understand available options.