Plumbers in Colton, CA

The Hub City

Colton is a San Bernardino County city about 10 miles from Riverside in a straight line, just south and west of San Bernardino along the San Bernardino Freeway. It incorporated in 1887 and had 53,909 residents in 2020. Locals call it the "Hub City" because of the Colton Crossing rail junction. Slover Mountain, Hermosa Cemetery, the Cooley Ranch neighborhood and the Agua Mansa area are all part of the city.

City water from city wells

Colton's Water Department, at 650 N La Cadena Drive, serves homes and businesses inside the city. Most of the supply is groundwater from seven city wells in three basins (Colton/Rialto, Bunker Hill and North Riverside), with an interconnection to the City of Rialto and treated groundwater from the City of San Bernardino when needed. The water is disinfected with chlorine.

It is also hard. Colton's water quality report lists total hardness for its Colton/Rialto sources averaging about 207 mg/L (range 150-230 mg/L), and 160 mg/L for the Rialto source. That much mineral content builds scale in tank water heaters, clogs tankless heat exchangers and crusts faucet aerators and showerheads, so flushing, descaling and water softener questions come up often here.

Sewer, after-hours help and older homes

The City of Colton also operates the sewer: more than 100 miles of collection pipe and its own secondary treatment plant, with treated water going to a rapid infiltration-extraction facility it owns jointly with San Bernardino. City water and wastewater crews respond at any hour to main breaks, service line leaks and sewer blockages; the after-hours line is (909) 370-5000.

About half of Colton's homes were built before 1980 (median year built 1979), and the 1980s were the largest single building decade. Older houses can still have galvanized supply pipe and cast iron or clay drain lines, which is why water and sewer line replacements are a regular job here.

Permits and gas

The Building & Safety Division of Colton's Development Services Department, (909) 370-5079, requires a permit to replace, relocate or install a water heater and to replace water or sewer lines. Replacing fixtures on existing plumbing is listed as not needing one. SoCalGas serves Colton. If you smell gas, get out first, then call 911 and SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200 from outside.

Compared with Riverside, and what to expect

Riverside Public Utilities also pumps groundwater, but Colton customers deal with Colton's utility and permit counter, and the city's hardness figures run on the high side. Call the number on this page, explain the problem and whether the water is shut off, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who covers Colton. Price and scheduling are between you and the plumber.