Sewer Line Replacement in Pauma Valley, CA

Is my Pauma Valley home on the district's sewer?

That's the first question to settle. The Pauma Valley Community Services District provides sewer and wastewater service, along with security patrol and gate access for Pauma Valley Country Club Estates. We weren't able to confirm the exact boundary of its sewer service, so check with the district, or look for a sewer charge on your property tax bill, before planning a replacement. If your home is connected, the lateral from the house to the district's main is the line in question. If it isn't, tell the plumber how your home's wastewater is handled, because the work and approvals differ.

How old are the lines likely to be?

The median Pauma Valley home dates to about 1985, and roughly 37 percent were built before 1980. Laterals from the 1970s and earlier can be clay or cast iron, which fail at the joints and through corrosion. Plastic lines from later decades fail differently, usually where a section settled or the slope was poor. A camera inspection is the only reliable way to know what you have and where it's failing.

Who handles the permit and the water side?

Pauma Valley is unincorporated, so building and plumbing permits go through the County of San Diego Planning & Development Services. Water comes from either Yuima Municipal Water District or Rancho Pauma Mutual Water Company depending on the address, which matters if a sewer trench crosses the water service line. Rancho Pauma Mutual lists an after-hours water emergency line at (760) 525-0364; Yuima's office is (760) 742-3704.

A local note

Pauma Valley is an agricultural valley at the western base of the Palomar Mountains, with citrus and avocado groves, a country club community and State Route 76 running through. Grove trees and mature landscaping send roots toward leaking joints, and long runs on larger lots add to the length of pipe to replace. Before any digging, an 811 locate should be arranged so buried utilities are marked, and it helps to point out private irrigation lines yourself, since those aren't part of a utility locate. If the line is still draining, scheduling outside the winter rainy season makes trenching and restoration simpler.