The city’s median home was built about 1987, per ACS-based data from a secondary source. In practice that means a mix of 1970s houses, which are the biggest group, and a good share of newer construction.
Start with where the house sits
Centerville is not one kind of neighborhood. Down near Parrish Lane and I-15 the ground is flat and the commercial core sits close to homes. Moving east, the streets climb onto the benches under the mountains, and the city’s foothills plan treats that terrain as its own category.
The plan restricts development on slopes over 30%, and it names landslides, debris flows and rockfall as common hazards in the foothills. It says ground movement is most likely from March through May, with thunderstorm debris flows possible in other months. It also puts water storage up the hill at about 5,340 feet.
What that means for a homeowner: buried pipes on a hillside lot live in ground that can shift.
A water line or sewer lateral that suddenly leaks, or a yard that develops a new wet spot or a crack after spring rain, is a reason to call early. We cannot judge slope stability, and a geotechnical question belongs to the city and an engineer. We can find the leak and tell you whether the pipe has been stressed. A water line repair on a sloped lot is planned around access, because every foot of trench matters.
Creeks that run through town
Parrish, Ricks, Barnard and Deuel creeks all come down from the mountains through Centerville, according to the foothills plan. In the wet spring of 1983, a USGS study measured Parrish, Ricks and Centerville Creeks near Centerville, and found floods at or above the 100-year level at nine of the 11 sites it studied.
You do not need a flood to see the point. Homes near a drainage can have wet crawl spaces and basements when snowmelt is heavy. A basement that takes on water every spring needs a working sump pump, and a pump that dies during runoff is a call at any hour. We install and repair the pump and the line, but we do not regrade yards or build drainage channels.
If a pipe lets go tonight
- Close the main Shut the main water valve, usually at the house entry or by the water heater. If it will not turn, do not force it. Tell us.
- Mind the electrical Stay off wet floors near outlets and appliances, and switch off breakers for flooded areas only if you can reach the panel on dry ground.
- Get things off the floor Lift valuables, rugs and boxes, and put towels at doorways to slow water heading for finished rooms.
- Call the 24/7 line Give your street, what burst or backed up and whether the water has stopped. We will say what can wait for a same-day visit and what cannot.
What Centerville tap water tells you
The city draws about two-thirds of its water from seven wells and buys the other third from Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. The wells named in the 2022 report are Church, Lyons, Ricks Creek, City Hall, Carrington, Church Main and Chase Lane.
In 2020, the city’s water quality report showed total dissolved solids ranging from 192 to 988 ppm. That is a wide spread, and the report does not list hardness separately.
For you, the practical point is that mineral scale shows up in some homes and not in others, so look at your own aerators, shower heads and water heater instead of assuming. White crust or a rumbling tank means scale. When a scaled-up tank has also started to leak, water heater replacement is the usual answer, and a water softener installation can slow the scale on the next one.
Centerville plumbing gone wrong tonight?
Call the 24/7 line with your street and the problem. We will tell you what to shut off while a crew is on the way.
Signs it is time to call, tonight or tomorrow
- Water is flowing through a ceiling, a wall or a light fixture. Call now.
- A basement drain or shower gurgles or shows water after laundry.
- The meter dial keeps moving with every fixture off.
- A hillside yard has a new wet spot, a sunken patch or a crack opening along a line.
- A faucet or toilet leaks slowly but steadily and the shutoff valve will not close.
- Hot water is gone and the tank is wet at the bottom.
What changes the price in Centerville
We give a clear price before work starts. These are the factors that move it on this side of town:
- Slope and access, since a steep lot makes digging, hauling and shoring slower.
- Depth and length of the line that needs repair.
- Pipe material and the age of what is already in the ground.
- Whether a camera or leak locating is needed before any repair starts.
- Whether the work needs a permit, which depends on the scope.
Homeowners insurance typically covers sudden and accidental damage, such as a burst pipe, but not wear or maintenance. Ask your insurer before cleanup and photograph everything.
When a backup is in the sewer
Sewer service in Centerville comes from the South Davis Sewer District, the same district that serves North Salt Lake, at 801-295-3469.
If the camera shows the blockage is in the district’s main and not your own line, we tell you so and you can call the district. If the break is in your lateral, sewer line repair is the next step. A backup in the lowest fixture means the main line is blocked, so stop using water in the whole house until it is cleared.
City offices, parks and the wider area
Centerville’s city hall is at 250 N Main Street, and the public works water division is at 655 N 1250 W. Plumbing permits and inspections for work that changes existing piping run through the city, so ask city offices what applies to your address. Utah limits what homeowners may do themselves, and a quick check on the DOPL license lookup confirms any plumber you hire.
We dispatch to streets near Community Park, Freedom Hills Park, Island View Park, Lee Skabelund Memorial Nature Park, Porter-Walton Park, Smoot Park and Founders Park, and everywhere around them. Neighboring Bountiful and West Bountiful are on the same 24/7 line, and across the wider 10-mile area we also reach 84054, 84087, 84010, 84025 and 84037. The calls we get most often are burst pipes and sewer lines.
Centerville on the map
Frequently asked questions
Centerville has one ZIP, 84014, and we cover all of it, from the flats around Parrish Lane to the benches below the foothills. There is no second Centerville ZIP to worry about, so a street address is all the dispatcher needs.
Yes. The line is answered 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays. For a burst pipe or a sewer backup, call right away and tell us the street.
The city’s foothills plan flags landslides and debris flows as common on the slopes, so buried lines there can be stressed by ground movement. We cannot assess slope stability. We can locate and repair a leak and tell you if the pipe looks damaged. Gas smell: leave the building and call Enbridge Gas at 1-800-767-1689 or 911.
That is mineral scale. The city’s 2020 report showed dissolved solids from 192 to 988 ppm, so the amount varies. Soaking an aerator in vinegar clears it, and a persistent problem across the house is worth a water treatment conversation.
Usually yes. Meter checks and listening gear narrow the location, and we dig only at that spot. The slope affects the repair plan, not the search. See our leak detection page.
Not always. Houses built around then often have copper or early plastic and mid-life water heaters, and a sewer inspection camera is a sensible check before you sell or buy.