Since July 2024, TriRiver Water has operated what used to be the Town of Pittsboro's water system, while three subdivisions outside town are serviced by Aqua, and some outlying homes still use wells. Whichever applies, a leak on the buried pipe between the meter or well and your house is typically a plumber's job. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Pittsboro.
Who runs the water at my address now?
Inside town limits, TriRiver Water, the regional utility run by the City of Sanford, took over Pittsboro's water and sewer operations on July 1, 2024. Laurel Ridge, Chapel Ridge and The Parks at Meadowview, three subdivisions outside town, are billed and serviced by Aqua, a private company, under a 2002 contract with the Town. Farther out, it depends on the street: some homes are on county water lines now handled by TriRiver, others on private wells. Chatham County requires a home to connect to county water when a line is available, which for residential property has meant within 500 feet. Your bill tells you which utility to call about trouble at the meter. None of these sources publishes exactly where the utility's pipe ends and yours begins, so ask before digging near the meter box.
My house is fairly new. Why would the line leak?
Pittsboro has some of the newest housing around Durham, with a median build year of 2002 and only about 11% of homes from before 1980, and Chatham Park is adding many more. Newer service lines rarely wear out from age. When they fail, the usual causes are a fitting that wasn't fully seated, soil that settled after the build, a nick from irrigation or fence installers, or a line that ended up shallower than it should be after final grading. A plumber can find the weak spot and splice in new pipe, which is often a smaller job than on an old line.
What does a repair involve, and who handles the permit?
The plumber will confirm the leak at the meter, or at the pressure tank on a well, then trace the route and dig down to the break. A single bad joint gets cut out and replaced. If the pipe has several failures or was damaged along a long stretch, laying a new line may cost less over time. Chatham County Central Permitting & Inspections handles building inspections for the Town of Pittsboro and does the plumbing inspections, so your plumber can tell you whether the job needs a permit and take care of it.
A note on the wells around town
If you're on a private well outside Pittsboro, the whole water line is yours, from the wellhead to the house. Chatham County estimated about 15,000 private wells countywide in 2021. A leak on a well line often shows up as a pump that keeps running, so mention that when you call.
Water Line Repair questions in Pittsboro
Should I call the water utility or a plumber first?
If my house is on a well, what counts as the water line?
Can a new line be installed without trenching across the yard?
Will a leak on the underground line raise my water bill?
More plumbing services in Pittsboro
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