Commercial Plumbing in Herndon, VA

Herndon's local setup

Inside town limits, the Department of Public Works maintains the water and sanitary sewer systems and bills for both. The Town buys its water from Fairfax Water, mostly from the Corbalis plant on the Potomac River, whose finished water averages about 7.5 grains per gallon of hardness, so commercial heaters and kitchen equipment scale over time. The Town's service line inventory hasn't turned up any lead service lines. For water or sewer problems, the Town's Operations Division is 703-435-6860.

The Town's Building Inspection Section runs the backflow program for devices in town, irrigation included. Each device must be tested annually by a certified backflow tester, and the result goes to the Town on its test report form by email to buildinginspections@herndon-va.gov. Building Inspections also issues Plumbing/Gas and Mechanical trade permits for work inside town limits, with applications submitted by email.

Many properties with a Herndon mailing address, such as areas south of the Dulles Toll Road, are unincorporated Fairfax County. Those get permits from Fairfax County Land Development Services and are generally on Fairfax Water. Gas follows the same split: Columbia Gas of Virginia serves the Town, while some addresses outside it are on Washington Gas. The utility on the bill decides. For a gas smell, leave the building and call 911, then Columbia Gas at 1-800-544-5606 or Washington Gas at 844-WASHGAS (844-927-4427), option 1.

Inside the town vs outside it

Signs worth acting on

• A backflow test due with no tester scheduled
• Restaurant drains downtown backing up after busy nights
• Water heaters losing capacity from scale
• Damp walls behind restroom fixtures

Timing notes

The median home in Herndon dates from 1983, so many buildings are reaching the age when water heaters, valves and flush hardware fail. Plan irrigation backflow tests and winterizing before the first hard freeze, and schedule bigger work during slow periods or between tenants.