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High Water at HomeCh. 27 · Who fixes which pipe
Part IV · After the water goes downFalling water

Chapter 27

Who fixes which pipe

The questionIs the broken water or sewer line the city's job or mine?

The short answerWho fixes which pipe turns on the meter: the City of Wharton runs its wells, mains and sewers, its service agreement calls everything past the meter the owner's side, and rural wells and septic are the landowner's.

By the editors of High Water at Home · Updated · about 7 minutes

A front lawn by the road with a green meter box lid near the ditch and a white sewer cleanout cap near the driveway
Figure 27.1 The meter box and the sewer cleanout often mark where the city's pipe ends and yours begins. (AI-generated picture)
Sections in this chapter
  1. 27.1 What does the City of Wharton look after?
  2. 27.2 Where does your side of the line begin?
  3. 27.3 Who handles the sewer lateral?
  4. 27.4 What if you are not on City of Wharton water?
  5. 27.5 Who is responsible for a private well?
  6. 27.6 Who is responsible for a septic system?

27.1 What does the City of Wharton look after?

The city's Water/Sewer Department looks after the public system. The Public Works page says it maintains and operates the water wells, storage tanks, booster pumps, water lines, wastewater plants, lift stations and sewer lines. City water is groundwater from the Chicot aquifer, drawn from five well sites, under public water system number TX2410005.

What that page does not do is say where the city's part stops. It is old text, still naming a state agency by a name it no longer uses, and it draws no line at the meter, the curb or the property edge.

27.2 Where does your side of the line begin?

At the meter, in the city's own words. The City of Wharton's new service application and retail service agreement describes the customer's plumbing as the "owner's side of the meter." The same agreement says the customer must install, test and maintain at their own expense any backflow prevention device the water system requires.

That is as far as the published text goes. For anything near the meter box, or a leak you cannot place, ask the city's Water/Sewer Department before you dig or hire. A standard new service on that form is a 3/4-inch water tap and a 4-inch sewer tap, which gives you a sense of the pipe sizes involved.

Table 27.1 Who to ask first about each part of a Wharton County water system
PartWho to ask firstWho does the work
City wells, storage tanks, mains, lift stationsCity of Wharton Water/Sewer DepartmentCity crews
Water meterCity of Wharton Water/Sewer DepartmentCity crews
Pipe on the owner's side of the meterYouTSBPE-licensed plumber, with a city permit
Backflow device the water system requiresYou (install, test, maintain)TSBPE-licensed plumber
Sewer lateral from house to city sewerCity Water/Sewer Department, before any diggingTSBPE-licensed plumber
Private well, casing, pumpYou, as landowner of recordTDLR-licensed driller or pump installer
Septic tank and drainfieldYou; permits from Wharton CountyTCEQ-licensed installer or maintenance provider
Gas meter and serviceCenterPoint Energy in Wharton and El Campo, or your propane supplierThe utility's or supplier's technician

27.3 Who handles the sewer lateral?

Nobody publishes a clear answer, so ask before you dig. The lateral runs from your drains, under the yard, to the public sewer main. The city maintains "sewer lines," but its pages do not say whether that reaches the tap, the cleanout or your property line.

If a backup came with the flood, start with the chapter on drains backing up, then ask the Water/Sewer Department where its part of the line ends at your address. If the city says the trouble is on your side, a cleanout often decides how easily a plumber can reach the line; backwater valves and cleanouts explains what those fittings do. After hours, the city sends water and sewer emergencies on its system to Wharton Police Department dispatch.

27.4 What if you are not on City of Wharton water?

Then your water provider is whoever sends the bill. El Campo runs its own system, and its service rules are not covered in this chapter. Out in the county, small public systems serve some subdivisions; TCEQ's 2021 list of lifted boil notices names Wharton Boling MWD, Isaacson MUD, Pyssens Live Oak Estates Subdivision and Turtle Creek Village among Wharton County systems.

Each of those has its own rules about meters and service lines. Call the office named on your bill, not the City of Wharton, and ask the same question: where does your part end and mine begin? When one of them puts out a boil notice, the tap-water chapter walks through what to do.

27.5 Who is responsible for a private well?

You are, as the landowner. TDLR's guidance on abandoned or deteriorated wells says the landowner of record is responsible for plugging such a well or bringing it into compliance. A well that is not plugged must be capped with a cover that keeps out surface pollutants, holds at least 400 pounds and cannot easily be removed by hand.

TDLR licenses both well drillers and pump installers. After a flood, the work inside the casing, the cap and the pump belongs to them, while the wiring belongs to a licensed electrician. Your part is to stay clear, keep the power off and arrange the tests described in testing well water.

27.6 Who is responsible for a septic system?

You are, with the County as the permitting office. TCEQ's On-Site Activity Reporting System lists the Wharton County authorized agent as the septic permitting authority for unincorporated Wharton County and the City of East Bernard; in practice that is the County Permit & Inspection Department.

TCEQ's advice for septic owners says failures caused by seasonally saturated soil are the owner's to correct. A permit is needed to replace a tank or to repair or replace a drainfield. A tank repair that leaves the tank in place counts as an emergency repair without a permit, but must be reported to the permitting authority within 72 hours. Aerobic systems in the county also need a signed maintenance contract on file.

Questions readers ask

Does the city fix a leak between the meter and my house?

The city's service agreement calls that pipe the owner's side of the meter, so plan on hiring a licensed plumber. Ask the Water/Sewer Department to confirm before work starts, especially if the leak is close to the meter box.

Who tests a backflow preventer the city requires?

The retail service agreement puts the device on the customer, who must install, test and maintain it at their own expense. A licensed plumber can tell you which device and test the water system asks for.

Two houses share one well; who is responsible?

State guidance names the landowner of record for plugging duties, but says nothing about shared wells. Put the arrangement in writing with your neighbor and check the well log with the local groundwater district.

Does East Bernard handle its own septic permits?

TCEQ lists the Wharton County authorized agent as the permitting authority for the City of East Bernard as well as the unincorporated county. Start with the County Permit & Inspection Department.

Who handles a gas line after a flood?

In Wharton and El Campo the gas utility is CenterPoint Energy, as its Railroad Commission tariff lists; rural lots are often on propane from a supplier. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 and the utility or supplier from outside.

What this chapter rests on

What stands behind this chapter: Wharton's Public Works page and retail service agreement, TDLR's well guidance, TCEQ's septic pages and its 2021 boil-notice list, and the Railroad Commission's gas tariff listing, checked on 11 Nov 2026. We found no published City of Wharton or El Campo rule fixing where city responsibility ends on a water service line or sewer lateral as of 11 Nov 2026, so ask each city's water department where its part stops.

Notes to chapter 27

  1. City of Wharton — Public Works · Water/Sewer Department duties · checked 11 Nov 2026
  2. City of Wharton — New Service Application / Retail Service Agreement · "owner's side of the meter"; customer backflow duties; tap sizes · checked 11 Nov 2026
  3. City of Wharton — 2025 Consumer Confidence Report, TX2410005 · Chicot aquifer groundwater, five well sites · checked 11 Nov 2026
  4. City of Wharton — After Hours Utility Emergency · after-hours water and sewer calls go to police dispatch · checked 11 Nov 2026
  5. TCEQ — Severe Winter Weather Event 2021: Public Water Systems with Lifted Boil Water Notices · names of Wharton County public water systems · checked 11 Nov 2026
  6. TDLR — Technical Guidance on Abandoned or Deteriorated Water Wells · landowner of record responsible; 400-pound cap rule · checked 11 Nov 2026
  7. TDLR — Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers · drilling and pump installing are licensed · checked 11 Nov 2026
  8. TCEQ — On-Site Activity Reporting System, county search · Wharton County authorized agent for unincorporated county and East Bernard · checked 11 Nov 2026
  9. TCEQ — Advice for On-Site Sewage Facility (septic) owners · owner corrects failures; permits; 72-hour emergency repair report · checked 11 Nov 2026
  10. Wharton County Permit & Inspection Dept. — Notice to Owner/Operator of an Aerobic Treatment Unit · aerobic maintenance contract on file · checked 11 Nov 2026
  11. US EPA — Septic Systems: What to Do after the Flood · dangerous gases; trained specialists only; keep off saturated drainfields · checked 11 Nov 2026
  12. Railroad Commission of Texas — CenterPoint Energy Entex gas tariff (effective 6/2/2026) · Wharton and El Campo listed · checked 11 Nov 2026