Ontario Municipal Utilities Company supplies drinking water across the whole city, so every Ontario homeowner deals with the same utility. A leak on the property side of the meter is usually the owner's to repair, and a plumber can trace it, dig to it and fix or replace the pipe. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Ontario.
Is there a chance my Ontario service line is lead?
Not on the utility's records. OMUC completed its lead service line inventory and confirmed there are no lead service lines in its system. That does not mean every old line is in good shape. Ontario dates to 1881, when the Chaffey brothers laid it out as an irrigated citrus colony, and the citywide median build year is 1980. Homes around Downtown Ontario can carry galvanized steel or early copper that has thinned over decades, while houses in Ontario Ranch are recent enough that a failure usually traces to a fitting, a connection at the house, or damage from digging. A plumber can tell you what your line is made of once a section is exposed.
Who do I call first, the city or a plumber?
It depends on where the water is. Water rising in the meter box or at the curb is the utility's concern; reach OMUC Utilities Customer Service at (909) 395-2050. A soft patch of lawn between the meter and the house, a wet wall where the line enters, or a meter that keeps turning with the house shut off points to the private line. That is plumbing work. If you are not sure, a plumber can check which side of the meter the leak sits on before any digging starts.
Will the job need a permit in Ontario?
Replacing a service line is normally permitted work. The City of Ontario Building Department issues building permits, and applications go in electronically through the Citizen Portal Access website; the department's number is 909.395.2023. Ask the plumber whether the repair you choose needs a permit and who pulls it. A short patch at one fitting may be handled differently from a full new run, and the inspector will want to see the pipe before it is buried.
A note on Ontario water
Most of Ontario's supply is Chino Basin groundwater from city wells, blended with purchased groundwater and treated State Water Project water. City groundwater averaged 124 mg/L hardness and imported water 91 mg/L in OMUC's report, so it is moderately hard. Scale is a bigger concern for water heaters and fixtures than for a buried line, but in an old steel pipe it adds to the rust narrowing the inside. If several fixtures lose pressure together, the service line belongs on the list of suspects along with the pressure regulator and the main shutoff valve.
Water Line Repair questions in Ontario
Does my water provider have lead service lines?
Who do I call if water is bubbling up at the meter box?
Do I need a permit to repair or replace the water service line?
Can a failing service line cause low pressure throughout the house?
More plumbing services in Ontario
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