Water Line Repair in Glenn Dale, MD

My Glenn Dale house is fairly new. Why is the water line leaking?

The median Glenn Dale home was built in 1991, younger than most of Prince George's County, so the line in your yard is probably copper or plastic rather than galvanized steel. Age isn't the only way a line fails, though. Fittings can loosen as soil settles around a newer foundation, a line can rub against a stone in the backfill until it wears through, and fences, decks, sheds and sprinkler systems added after the house was built are a common source of accidental damage. A hard freeze can also split a section where the pipe is shallow near the house.

Whose leak is it, mine or WSSC's?

WSSC Water's rule is that it's responsible from the water main to the property line, and the homeowner is responsible from the property line into the home. If water is pooling at the meter or coming up in the street, report it to WSSC's Emergency Service Center at 301-206-4002. If the soggy area is in your yard or the leak is at the wall where the pipe enters, that part is yours. Customer service for billing questions is 301-206-4001. If you're not sure your address is on WSSC, check your water bill.

Could the leak be my irrigation system instead?

It could, and it's worth ruling out first if your yard has in-ground sprinklers. WSSC treats the backflow assemblies on irrigation as testable devices that need an annual test by a WSSC-certified cross-connection technician. A leak on the irrigation side often shows up near a valve box or sprinkler head, while a service line leak tends to follow the straight path from the street toward the house. Turning off the irrigation supply and watching the meter helps tell them apart.

A local note

In Prince George's County, most plumbing and gas work must be done by a plumber or gasfitter holding a WSSC Water license, with permits and inspections through WSSC, and county DPIE in Largo handles building permits. When you call, an independent local plumber can find the leak, explain whether a spot repair will do, and handle any WSSC permit the work needs.