Two-story house behind mature trees and a front lawn

Areas we cover in Alabama

City pages grouped by region, each with local ground conditions, the water utility's records and the ZIP codes covered.

North Alabama

North Alabama yards sit mostly on red clay weathered from limestone. The clay grips a buried pipe in wet months and lets go in dry ones, and the rock underneath is riddled with sinkholes. Every repair crew here checks the trench for soft or hollow ground before backfilling.

Huntsville, ALRocket City yards on karst Madison, ALNewer lines that pull apart Decatur, ALOne home in three on old steel Athens, ALCourthouse square to county roads Hartselle, ALRecords that stop at the meter Cullman, ALUp on the plateau Florence, ALShoals hillsides and unknown pipe

Greater Birmingham

Greater Birmingham is ridge-and-valley country. Lots climb and fall, rock sits close to the surface, and older neighborhoods are packed tight. That combination is why boring under a driveway or rerouting a line is often cheaper here than opening a long trench.

Birmingham, ALRidges, rock and a renamed utility Hoover, ALLong driveways over the water line Vestavia Hills, ALOak roots and mountain slopes Homewood, ALNew kitchens, old yard pipe Trussville, ALModern pipe, moving hillsides Gardendale, ALSixty-year-old yard lines Pelham, ALRocky Shelby County lots Helena, ALDamp ground along Buck Creek Alabaster, ALFive hundred lines to replace Calera, ALRail town turned boom town Bessemer, ALSteel-era houses, steel-era pipe Jasper, ALWalker County hills

Northeast Alabama

The Coosa Valley towns grew up around mills and foundries, and plenty of the houses were built before 1950. Old housing means old yard lines, and here that often means galvanized steel that has narrowed with rust.

Gadsden, ALGalvanized almost everywhere Pell City, ALLake lots and long runs

West Alabama

Tuscaloosa and Northport straddle the Fall Line: rock to the north, coastal-plain sand and clay to the south. The soil can change from one block to the next, which changes how deep a crew digs and how a repaired section is bedded.

Tuscaloosa, ALLeaks tenants never see Northport, ALAcross the river from Tuscaloosa

River Region

Montgomery and Elmore County border the Black Belt, a soil band whose dark, sticky clay that swells and shrinks more than almost any soil in the country. Clay that moves that much works couplings loose and cracks rigid fittings over the years.

Montgomery, ALClay that never sits still Prattville, ALAutauga Creek to the bypass Millbrook, ALCheck which system you are on Wetumpka, ALRocky ground on the Coosa Pike Road, ALBrand-new homes, restless clay

East Alabama

East Alabama is red clay over sandier, more porous layers. A broken line can soak away underground without leaving a puddle, so many repairs here start with a high bill rather than a wet yard.

Auburn, ALThe meter is the dividing line Opelika, ALRed clay and railroad-era streets Phenix City, ALTwo-thirds of lines unconfirmed

Gulf Coast

Coastal Alabama is sand over a high water table, with salt air near the bay. Sand drains a leak away fast, so a broken line can run for months with no wet spot. Trenches also cave more easily, which shapes how repairs are dug.

Mobile, ALLeaks that vanish into sand Daphne, ALEastern Shore salt air Fairhope, ALA third of lines undocumented Foley, ALBrand-new trenches in Baldwin County

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New water pipe laid in an open trench beside an excavator

Water coming up between the meter and the house?

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