Plumbers in Mentone, CA

East of Redlands, on the Santa Ana River

Mentone is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in San Bernardino County, east of Redlands on the south bank of the Santa Ana River and about 17 miles from Riverside in a straight line. It has no mayor or city council, and the 2020 Census counted 9,557 residents. SR-38, which runs as Lugonia Avenue, Mentone Boulevard and Mill Creek Road, carries traffic up into the San Bernardino Mountains. North-south streets are named for gemstones, and Crafton Avenue, Nice Avenue, Redlands East Valley High School and the Mentone Senior Center and Library are familiar local names.

Water and sewer from Redlands

The City of Redlands says it has supplied water to the Redlands and Mentone area for more than 90 years. Its supply blends Mill Creek water treated at the Tate plant, Santa Ana River water treated at the Hinckley plant north of Mentone, local groundwater wells in Redlands, Mentone and Yucaipa, and State Water Project water when needed. A hardness figure was not available here; water in this area is generally hard enough to scale up water heaters and fixtures, and Redlands' water quality report has the numbers.

Because Mentone is outside city limits, Redlands extends water and sewer to individual parcels through out-of-agency service agreements approved by LAFCO. That means service can vary from one property to the next, and not every home is necessarily on Redlands sewer. Check your bills to see what your property has before a drain or sewer call, and tell the plumber.

Permits through the county

As an unincorporated community, Mentone falls under San Bernardino County rather than a city building department. The right county office depends on the job, so check with San Bernardino County about permits before water heater, gas line or repipe work.

Foothill weather and gas safety

Sitting at the mouth of the mountains, Mentone sees winter frost on exposed hose bibs, outdoor piping and backflow assemblies more often than central Riverside, so insulating them before a cold snap is worth the effort. SoCalGas serves Mentone. If you smell gas, leave right away, then call 911 and SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200 from a safe place. Homes on propane should call 911 and their propane supplier.

How Mentone differs from Riverside, and what to expect

Riverside residents deal with Riverside Public Utilities and the City of Riverside for water, sewer and permits. Mentone residents work with a neighboring city for utilities and the county for permits, with service that can differ by parcel. Call the number on this page, describe the problem and whether your home is on Redlands sewer, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who works in Mentone. Pricing and timing are settled directly with that plumber.