Plumbers in Bladensburg, MD

A colonial port at a modern crossroads

Bladensburg, incorporated in 1854, is about 5 miles from downtown Washington in a straight line. It began as a colonial seaport and tobacco inspection town on the Anacostia River and is best known for the 1814 Battle of Bladensburg. Today it is a busy junction of Baltimore Avenue (US 1 Alternate), Kenilworth Avenue (MD 201), Annapolis Road (MD 450) and MD 202, beside the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Decatur Heights and Sunnybrook are residential areas, and Bladensburg Waterfront Park and the Peace Cross are the landmarks.

Housing from the 1960s and earlier

The median home in town was built around 1968, so a lot of the plumbing is past fifty years old. Expect galvanized or early copper supply lines, cast iron drains, older sewer laterals and shutoff valves that have not been turned in years. Garden apartments and older houses alike see leaks that travel along joists before they show, and drains that slow as old pipe roughens inside.

Water, hardness and sewer

WSSC Water is the public water and sewer utility for Prince George's County, and the town runs no water system of its own. WSSC's tap water analysis shows water from its Potomac plant averaging 140 mg/L of hardness, and water from its Patuxent plant averaging 65 mg/L; WSSC does not say which plant feeds a given address. If you see white crust on faucets or a tankless heater that needs frequent descaling, your supply may lean toward the harder figure.

A portion of each water service line belongs to WSSC and a portion to the customer. WSSC's "What's Your Pipe Type?" map, built from more than 100 years of plumbing records, lets you look up your address and flags lead, galvanized lines that need replacing, or unknown material. WSSC banned lead for service lines in 1954. Water and sewer emergencies go to 301-206-4002.

Permits and who can do the work

• The Town of Bladensburg handles business licenses and registrations, not building or plumbing permits.
• WSSC Water issues permits for and inspects plumbing and all natural gas and LP gas installations (Permit Services 301-206-4003). Prince George's County DPIE handles building, mechanical and electrical permits.
• Gas work, including furnace and gas water heater replacement, generally needs a WSSC permit and a gasfitter holding a WSSC license.
• Testable backflow assemblies, such as irrigation devices and some fire sprinkler double checks, must be tested every year by a WSSC-certified cross-connection technician. The county cross-connection line is 301-206-8601.

If you smell gas

Washington Gas serves Prince George's County, with some areas served by BGE, so check your bill. Leave the building right away, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

How Bladensburg differs from the District

The District line is close, but DC Water and the DC Department of Buildings stop at it. In Bladensburg, WSSC covers water, sewer and plumbing permits. Call, give your street and a description of the problem, and you will be put through to an independent plumber who sets the price and timing with you.