Emergency Plumbing in Riverside, CA

Who to call in Riverside

Leaks on the street side of the water meter, a broken main or no water on the whole street are for the water utility: in Riverside that is Riverside Public Utilities. Check its website or your water bill for its emergency line.

Leaks, backups and failures on your side of the meter, inside the house or in your sewer lateral, are a plumber's job. Call us and we connect you with an independent, licensed plumbing company that handles emergency calls in Riverside; when they can arrive depends on that company and the time of day.

Reporting a water emergency in Riverside

• Riverside Public Utilities tells anyone who thinks there is a water leak on their property or in the street to contact its 24-Hour Electric & Water Emergency line at (951) 782-0330. [3]
• Riverside Public Utilities says unplanned water outages happen when it must shut off service for emergency repairs such as a water main break, major water pipe leak or a hit hydrant, often caused by tree roots, accidental third-party digging or vehicle collisions. Call (951) 782-0330 for 24-hour water emergencies, or 9-1-1 if life-threatening. [4]
• Riverside Public Utilities, the city-owned water and electric utility, tells customers that for power or water emergencies they should call (951) 782-0330. RPU's contact page notes that its Customer Service team handles water and electric billing and account questions, while the city's 311 Call Center, reachable at 311 or 826-5311, handles non-emergency city service requests. [5]
• Riverside Public Utilities' contact page states that sewer problems in Riverside are handled not by RPU but by the city's Public Works department, reachable at (951) 826-5311. General city service questions go to 311 or 826-5311, which can also be submitted through the city's 311 mobile application. [5]

Other common plumbing calls in Riverside

• Water Heater Repair: hard groundwater builds sediment in heaters.
• Water Softener Installation: at about 11 grains per gallon, many homes soften.

Riverside facts behind this page

• Riverside Public Utilities supplied about 97% of its water in 2024 from local groundwater basins (Bunker Hill, Colton and Riverside); hardness was about 11 grains per gallon (180 to 210 mg/L). [1]
• The median home in Riverside was built in 1976. [2]
• About 57% of Riverside's housing units were built before 1980, the era of galvanized steel supply pipe, cast iron drains and clay sewer laterals. [2]
• Riverside Public Utilities tells anyone who thinks there is a water leak on their property or in the street to contact its 24-Hour Electric & Water Emergency line at (951) 782-0330. [3]
• Riverside Public Utilities says unplanned water outages happen when it must shut off service for emergency repairs such as a water main break, major water pipe leak or a hit hydrant, often caused by tree roots, accidental third-party digging or vehicle collisions. Call (951) 782-0330 for 24-hour water emergencies, or 9-1-1 if life-threatening. [4]
• Riverside Public Utilities, the city-owned water and electric utility, tells customers that for power or water emergencies they should call (951) 782-0330. RPU's contact page notes that its Customer Service team handles water and electric billing and account questions, while the city's 311 Call Center, reachable at 311 or 826-5311, handles non-emergency city service requests. [5]
• Riverside Public Utilities' contact page states that sewer problems in Riverside are handled not by RPU but by the city's Public Works department, reachable at (951) 826-5311. General city service questions go to 311 or 826-5311, which can also be submitted through the city's 311 mobile application. [5]