About two-thirds of Derwood's homes were built in the 1980s, so their original water service lines have now been in the ground for decades. WSSC Water owns the line to the property line, and a plumber can repair or replace your section from there into the house. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Derwood.
Derwood is a suburban community just north of Rockville and southeast of Gaithersburg, close to the Shady Grove Metro and the Intercounty Connector. Its median home was built in 1985 and only about 15 percent predate 1980, so this is mostly a story of 1980s plumbing reaching middle age. WSSC Water supplies water and sewer. It is responsible for the service line from the main to the property line; the homeowner owns everything from the property line into the house.
What to do now
- Shut off the main valve inside the house if water is running into the yard or basement.
- Look at where the water is: near the curb points toward WSSC's portion, near the house toward yours.
- If it is on WSSC's side, call the Emergency Service Center at 301-206-4002.
- Turn off the irrigation controller so it doesn't muddy the picture.
- Photograph the wet area and any pavement cracks to show the plumber.
Symptom guide
| Symptom | Common cause in a 1980s house |
|---|---|
| Hissing at the main valve with taps closed | Water escaping somewhere on the buried pipe |
| Wet ground beside the front walk | Leaking joint along the route to the house |
| Drip at the wall where the line enters | Worn fitting or corroded section at the entry |
| Flow weaker in every room than it used to be | Leak or partial blockage in the service line |
| Sprinkler zone soggy even when off | Irrigation supply leak rather than the main line |
Cost factors
- Length of your portion, from the property line to the foundation
- Whether a coupling repair holds or the run should be replaced
- Concrete, pavers and established plantings over the pipe
- Access at the foundation entry, especially behind finished basement walls
- A WSSC Water permit and inspection, which service line work requires
In many Derwood houses the main shutoff is still the original valve. If it sticks or drips when turned, replacing it while the line is already open saves a second visit later.
WSSC publishes a service line inventory map and runs a What's Your Pipe Type? program to help owners confirm the material on the private side. Homes with in-ground irrigation also need an annual backflow test by a WSSC-certified cross-connection technician.
Water Line Repair questions in Derwood
Who is responsible for the water line between the street and my house?
When does replacing the whole line make more sense than a patch?
How can I use the water meter to tell whether the service line is leaking?
Will an 811 locate request mark my private water line?
More plumbing services in Derwood
Water Line Repair nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
- WSSC Water: service line responsibility
- Montgomery County DEP: public water and sewer service categories
- WSSC Water: permit information for homeowners
- WSSC Water annual water quality report (PDF)
- WSSC Water: cross-connection control and backflow
- Point2Homes: Derwood demographics
- Wikipedia: Derwood, Maryland
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