In early December 2021, the Denver International Airport made headlines across the U.S. after a hot water pipe broke a month before a major terminal expansion project was expected to complete. The scalding water spilled on floors and across the airport concourse, causing $50 million in damage and a nine-month delay to the project.
While the spill at DIA is a dramatic example of the problems water in the wrong places can cause, it is not an isolated one, particularly in building projects. According to HSB, a global specialty insurer, water damage is the second most frequent cause of loss during building projects. And insurance premiums have only gone up.