Water Line Repair in Bowie, MD

Signs the line into the house is failing

• A stretch of lawn that stays spongy or green when the rest of the yard is dry
• Pressure drops at the kitchen, the showers and the hose bib all at once
• The water meter keeps turning with every tap and appliance shut off
• Water seeping through the basement wall where the supply pipe enters
• A noticeably higher water bill with no change in how the household uses water

Which Bowie system serves you

The City of Bowie water system was built by the Levitt Corporation in the early 1960s and serves about 7,900 customers in neighborhoods including Somerset, Tulip Grove, Kenilworth, Rockledge, Overbrook, Whitehall, Yorktown and others in the Belair area. Its water comes from five wells in the Magothy, Patapsco and Patuxent aquifers and is treated to remove naturally occurring iron and manganese. The rest of the city is on WSSC Water. Your bill tells you which one you have.

That matters for who you call. City customers can report water problems to Public Works at 301-809-2344, and after hours the city routes water emergencies through its Police Communications Center at 240-544-5700. WSSC customers use WSSC's emergency line at 301-206-4002. The city reports that the Levitt homes were connected with copper, so it has no lead service lines in its system area. With a median build year around 1981 citywide, many Bowie lines are now decades old, and copper that has been in the ground that long can develop pinholes or a failing joint.

What affects the cost

• Length of the run. Deep front yards on larger Bowie lots mean more pipe and more digging.
• Spot repair or full line. One leaking joint is a smaller job than replacing an aging copper run end to end.
• What sits above it. Driveways, walkways, patios and mature trees take time to work around and restore.
• Entry point. A line entering a finished basement means opening and patching interior walls.
• Permits. Prince George's County says all plumbing permits are issued by WSSC Water; your plumber can tell you what this job requires.

What happens when you call

Plumber Washington DC Pros is a referral line, not a plumbing company. Your call goes to an independent local plumber serving Bowie. Mention whether you're on city or WSSC water, where the ground is wet and whether the meter moves with everything off. If water is flowing hard, close the main shutoff inside the house before you call.