The three categories in plain words
- Category 1 (clean water)
- Water from a sanitary source such as a broken supply line, a faucet or an overflowing sink with clean water. It poses little health risk at the start.
- Category 2 (gray water)
- Water with some contamination that could make people sick, such as washing machine or dishwasher discharge, or a toilet bowl overflow without solids.
- Category 3 (black water)
- Grossly contaminated water such as sewage, toilet overflow with solids, or ground and surface water that came in from outside.
- Degradation
- Clean water that sits gets worse. After time, warmth and contact with dirty materials, a clean leak can be treated as gray or black.
Common Lakewood sources and their usual category
| Source | Usual starting category | What can push it higher |
|---|---|---|
| Burst supply pipe or ice-maker line | Clean | Sitting for days, running through a dirty crawlspace |
| Water heater tank failure | Clean | Mixing with dirt or debris on a basement floor |
| Washing machine overflow | Gray | Sitting for a long time |
| Rooftop evaporative cooler leak | Clean to gray | Running through attic insulation and dust |
| Window well flooding during a storm | Black | Already contaminated as surface water |
| Floor drain or sewer backup | Black | Already at the highest category |
What the category means for your belongings and materials
- IfClean water, caught quicklyThenMany materials, including some carpet, drywall and hard surfaces, may be dried and kept.
- IfGray waterThenCarpet pad is typically removed; carpet and porous items are judged case by case and cleaned before anything is kept.
- IfBlack waterThenPorous materials it touched, such as carpet, pad, drywall, insulation and upholstered items, are generally removed and discarded.
- IfUnsure of the sourceThenTreat it as the more contaminated category until someone confirms otherwise.
Why this matters for the bill and the claim
Category affects how much gets removed, how much protective gear and cleaning is involved, and how long the job takes. A careful assessor writes down the category and the reason for it, ideally with photos of the source.
Insurers also look at source. Sewer backup, surface water and flooding are often treated differently from a sudden plumbing leak, and some policies cover them only with a specific endorsement. Ask your agent which of these your policy includes before you need it, not after.
General information for Lakewood, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.