Water Line Repair & Installation · Snellville, GA
Water line repair and installation in Snellville, covering the private service line between the Gwinnett County meter and the house.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who fixes a water line leak at a Snellville home?
Gwinnett County DWR supplies Snellville's water and owns the main, the small pipe to your meter, and the meter itself. Everything past the meter, including the service line to the house, is the owner's. A leak between the meter box and your foundation is a private repair; we locate it, excavate, and repair or replace the line.↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Who owns what
The meter box is the property line for water
Gwinnett County Department of Water Resourcesmain
DWR maintains the water main, the pipe connecting it to the meter, and the meter.↗
Where the line sits: meter
Property ownerwater service line
Everything on the customer side of the meter is the owner's to maintain, repair or replace.↗
Where the line sits: meter outlet to house
Water bubbling up inside the meter box itself, or in the street, is the county's side. Call DWR dispatch at 678.376.7000 for that before calling a plumber.↗
The Snellville story
A city that cannot fall back on a well
In some rural Georgia towns a failed service line is an inconvenience because the house also has a well. Snellville is different. In June 2001 the City Council adopted an ordinance banning new wells and closing existing ones, with irrigation use still allowed, after possible dry-cleaner contamination was found at the old Oakland Village shopping center site. That makes the county line the only drinking supply for nearly every home in town.↗
The water in that line comes from Lake Lanier, treated at Gwinnett's Lanier and Shoal Creek filter plants, which together can produce more than 200 million gallons a day. The supply is reliable. The weak point is usually the last hundred feet or so of private pipe.↗
Median year homes were built
1991
Typical house here is about 35 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Snellville, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
1991 houses and the polybutylene question
Half of Snellville's housing was built before 1991. InterNACHI dates polybutylene pipe to production between 1978 and mid-1995 and notes the blue version was used mainly for outdoor cold water, which describes a service line exactly. When we uncover gray or blue plastic stamped PB2110 in a Snellville yard, we recommend replacing the whole run, since it tends to fail again elsewhere along its length.↗↗
Gwinnett takes the same view on its own side. Its construction standards say that when an existing service of one inch or less is galvanized or polybutylene, the whole line from main to meter is replaced with Type K copper, using compression fittings; soldered and flared joints are prohibited.↗
Local facts
County rules that shape a Snellville water job
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Utility-side replacements | Galvanized or polybutylene services one inch or smaller are replaced main-to-meter with ASTM B88 Type K copper. | Gwinnett DWR — Water Main and Sanitary Sewer Design and Construction Standards and Specifications (April 5, 2016) |
| Low pressure | DWR says the cause is most often the home's pressure-reducing valve, which the owner maintains; county staff do not investigate or repair it. | Gwinnett County DWR — Water Pressure and Temperature |
| Locate notice | Georgia requires an 811 request at least two and no more than eight business days before digging. | Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9) |
More about Snellville
Low pressure: spigot first, then the line
DWR suggests a simple test that we repeat on every pressure call. Check the front hose spigot, which usually sits ahead of the regulator. Strong flow there with weak flow inside points to the pressure-reducing valve. Weak flow at both, with the meter dial still, is when the county can run a flow test by pulling the meter on its side.↗
If the meter dial spins with every fixture closed, water is escaping somewhere past it. On sloped Snellville lots that often shows up as a soft, green strip of lawn downhill from the true leak, so we trace the line rather than dig where the grass looks wettest.
DWR suggests a simple test that we repeat on every pressure call.
What it costs
Water line price ranges for comparison
Water line repair, short section
$400–$1,500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Main water line replacement, average
$2,000–$5,000
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Trenched replacement
$50–$200 per linear foot
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Pressure regulator replacement
$150–$350
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Water main line repair
$350–$1,700
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor — Main Water Line Replacement Cost (2026), 2026
What moves the price
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620- 01Distance from the curbside meter to where the line enters the house.
- 02Whether the pipe is polybutylene that should be replaced end to end.
- 03Driveways and walks poured over the route since the house was built.
- 04Irrigation lines and landscape lighting sharing the same trench path.
Warning signs
Signs the Snellville service line is leaking
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. A higher Gwinnett bill with no change in how the household uses water.
- 2. The meter's leak indicator moves while every tap is shut.
- 3. A wet or sunken spot between the meter box and the porch.
- 4. Pressure drops suddenly in every fixture at once.
- 5. You hear water running at the entry point with nothing turned on.
More about Snellville
Homes versus storefronts
A house typically has a three-quarter-inch or one-inch service. Offices and restaurants near The Grove and along US-78 often have larger services, separate irrigation meters and backflow devices, all of which sit on the owner's side and need to be kept in service while repairs happen. We plan those jobs around business hours.↗
FAQ
Snellville water line FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Who supplies water in Snellville?
Gwinnett County's Department of Water Resources, which owns the main, the pipe to the meter and the meter.
Is the leak between my meter and house the county's problem?
No. DWR says everything on the customer side of the meter is the property owner's to repair or replace.
Can I drill a well if my line keeps failing?
Not for household use. Snellville's 2001 ordinance bans new wells, though irrigation use is allowed.
Source: Snellville, Georgia — Wikipedia
Why is my pressure low only indoors?
Per DWR, good pressure at the front spigot with weak indoor flow usually means the pressure-reducing valve needs replacing.
Source: Gwinnett County DWR — Water Pressure and Temperature
My house is from the late 1980s. Could the line be polybutylene?
Possibly. PB was made from 1978 to mid-1995, and blue PB was common for outdoor cold-water lines. A quick look at the entry point often tells.
What does a replacement usually run?
HomeGuide's 2025 average is $2,000 to $5,000, or $50 to $200 per trenched foot; length and hardscape decide where you land.
Source: HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025)
Do you call 811 for a water line job?
Yes, every time. Mechanized digging in Georgia requires a locate request first.
Source: Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9)
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
- 1Gwinnett County DWR — Resident Responsibility
- 2Gwinnett County DWR — Report a Problem
- 3Snellville, Georgia — Wikipedia
- 4Gwinnett County DWR — Drinking Water Facilities
- 5Census Reporter: Snellville, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 6InterNACHI — Polybutylene for Inspectors
- 7Gwinnett DWR — Water Main and Sanitary Sewer Design and Construction Standards and Specifications (April 5, 2016)
- 8Gwinnett County DWR — Water Pressure and Temperature
- 9Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9)
- 10HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025)
- 11HomeAdvisor — Main Water Line Replacement Cost (2026)
Ready when you are
Meter spinning with the taps off? Let's find the leak.
Tell us what the bill and the yard are doing. We'll trace the Snellville service line and give you a free on-site estimate.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620