Plumbers in Lake Elsinore, CA

A lake town south of Riverside

Lake Elsinore lies about 19 miles south of Riverside in a straight line, in Riverside County, on the shore of a natural freshwater lake of roughly 3,000 acres. Incorporated in 1888 and once a resort town, it is now a suburban city of 70,265 people (2020 Census). I-15 runs through it, SR-74 (the Ortega Highway) heads west, and Railroad Canyon Road and Grand Avenue are main local routes. Neighborhoods include Country Club Heights, Tuscany Hills, Summerly and Alberhill.

One district for water and sewer

Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) provides water, wastewater and reclaimed water service; the old Elsinore Water District that served Country Club Heights and parts of Lakeland Village was folded into it. About 85 percent of the water is imported (Skinner plant water through EMWD's Auld Valley Pipeline and Mills plant water through Western MWD's Temescal Valley Pipeline), and about 15 percent is local groundwater from the Elsinore basin and Temescal wells. EVMWD disinfects with chlorine. Its main number is 951-674-3146.

Hardness swings widely by source. EVMWD's report lists the Elsinore groundwater blend at an average of 338 ppm (230 to 400), the EMWD imported supply at 217 ppm, Temescal groundwater at 203 ppm and Western MWD imported water at 93 ppm. Where local groundwater dominates, scale builds quickly in water heaters, tankless units and faucet valves, and softeners are a common addition.

Where your responsibility starts

EVMWD maintains the service from the main in the street through the contents of the meter box. Everything on the house side of the meter box is the owner's, so a wet spot between the box and the house is a private repair. EVMWD states that no lead or galvanized lines needing replacement exist in public or private connections in its system, though it notes customer-owned plumbing may still contain lead.

Wastewater goes to EVMWD's Regional, Railroad Canyon and Horsethief reclamation facilities, and flows from the southern collection system go to Rancho California Water District's Santa Rosa facility.

Backflow and permits

EVMWD requires backflow devices right after the meter on new commercial, industrial and landscape services. The owner maintains them and must have them tested at installation and every year by a tester certified by the County of Riverside Department of Environmental Health; a failed device must be repaired and retested within 15 days. The Water Protection Department is at (951) 625-3404.

The City's Building & Safety Division, 130 S. Main Street, 951-674-3124, requires permits to install, alter, repair or replace any plumbing or gas system, and offers a Citizen Self Service Portal.

Gas and calling

SoCalGas serves Lake Elsinore. If you smell gas, leave the house first, then call 911 and SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200 from outside. Compared with Riverside, where one city utility pumps local groundwater, Lake Elsinore relies mostly on imported water and has much harder local wells. Call the number on this page, describe the problem, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who serves Lake Elsinore; price and timing are settled with that plumber.