Plumbers in Bowie, MD

From railroad town to the county's largest city

Bowie began as a railroad town, was chartered in the 1880s, annexed the Levitt and Sons Belair properties in 1959 and reincorporated as a city in 1963. Today it is the largest municipality in Prince George's County, about 15 miles from downtown Washington in a straight line, and most residents live in the 1960s Belair community. US 50 (John Hanson Highway), US 301, MD 197, MD 214 and MD 450 cross the city, with Bowie Town Center as the main shopping hub.

Two water systems inside one city

Your neighborhood decides your utility. The City of Bowie water system, built by the Levitt Corporation in the early 1960s, serves about 7,900 customers in sections including Bowie Forest, Buckingham, Chapel Forge, Derbyshire, Foxhill, Glenridge, Heather Hills, Idlewild, Kenilworth, Meadowbrook, Overbrook, Rockledge, Somerset, Tulip Grove, Whitehall and Yorktown. That water comes from five wells in the Magothy, Patapsco and Patuxent aquifers and is treated to remove naturally occurring iron and manganese, then disinfected with chlorine. The rest of the city is on WSSC Water, which draws from the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. Check your bill if you are unsure.

Sewer follows a similar split. In the city's sewer area, wastewater goes to the Bowie treatment plant, the city maintains only the mains, and the homeowner is usually responsible for blockages or breaks in the sewer house connection from the house to the main. A backup inside the house is a job for a plumber.

Pipes, lead and housing age

The median Bowie home dates to about 1981. The city says the Levitt homes were connected with copper, so its water system area has no lead service lines; its inventory is available from the water plant at 301-809-3060. In WSSC areas, WSSC says it has removed all known lead pipes from its distribution system and posts a service line map at wsscwater.com/LCR-map.

Emergencies, permits and gas

• City water problems: Public Works at 301-809-2344, or after hours through the Police Communications Center at 240-544-5700.
• WSSC areas: the WSSC Water emergency line, 301-206-4002.
• Permits: plumbing and gas permits come from WSSC Water Permit Services (301-206-4003) across Bowie, and a water heater replacement needs one. Building permits come from Prince George's County DPIE.

The city lists Washington Gas as the natural gas supplier, though Washington Gas notes BGE serves some parts of the county, so check the bill at the city's edges. If you smell gas, leave the house, then call 911 and Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

How Bowie differs from the District

In Washington, one utility, DC Water, handles every address. In Bowie, a plumber may first need to know whether your street is on city wells or WSSC river water, and whose sewer main sits at the end of your lateral. Tell the person you are connected with your neighborhood name, and an independent plumber will set price and timing with you directly.