Two water providers, one city
The Pico Rivera Water Authority, formed in 1999, supplies drinking water to about 70 percent of the city’s incorporated area. Pico Water District serves the rest. The two have separate offices and phone numbers, so it’s worth knowing which one is yours before a leak happens.
The city’s provider page shows the split on a color-coded map and links to an address lookup. The City Water Division is on Passons Boulevard at (562) 801-4316, and Pico Water District is on Church Street at (562) 692-3756.
The city sewer system
The City of Pico Rivera Sewer Division collects wastewater inside city limits and delivers it to the trunk sewers of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. The city system is about 110 miles of sewer with 2,516 manholes, serving roughly 13,930 parcels of homes, businesses and industry.
If sewage is surfacing in the street, the city’s sewer division is the right call. If it’s backing up inside your house, a plumber should clear and inspect your own line first.
Older homes, older pipes
Much of Pico Rivera’s housing went up before 1960, and many of those homes still run on galvanized steel supply pipe. Galvanized pipe rusts from the inside, narrowing until pressure drops and water turns brown after it sits. When that happens throughout the house, a repipe in PEX or copper is usually the lasting fix.
Homes built on slabs can also develop leaks in copper lines under the floor. A warm spot, a constantly moving meter or a sudden jump in the bill are the signs to watch for.
Before you call
Check which water provider you have, find your main shutoff, and note whether the problem is pressure, color, a leak or a drain. That’s enough for us to send the right kind of plumber.