Plumber for Covina 91723, from City Hall to the hospital blocks

Put those numbers next to the ZIP to the north and west. Covina 91722 has about 36,111 people on about 4.1 square miles, and about seven in ten homes there are owned. Covina 91723 packs about 19,653 people into a little more than half that land, and renters outnumber owners. That difference drives most of what we fix in 91723: more apartments, more shared plumbing, more calls from tenants and property managers, and more commercial work.

Downtown Covina, along Citrus Ave, sits inside 91723, and it has its own page: Downtown Covina covers the storefronts, restaurant grease and parade-night planning. This page covers the rest of the ZIP: the civic center, the hospital blocks, the apartments and the residential streets around them.

Shared plumbing changes how a problem spreads. In a single-family house, a clogged drain affects one household. In an apartment building, a clog in a shared stack can back up into the lowest unit while the units above keep sending water down. A failing shared water heater leaves every unit without hot water at once.

Tenants: who to tell first

If you rent, tell your landlord or property manager first, and check your lease for who arranges repairs. In an emergency, such as water coming through a ceiling or sewage on the floor, turn off the water at the fixture or the unit shutoff if you can, then call the manager. If the manager asks us to come out, we work with them on access and billing.

Owners and managers: a short maintenance list

• Label the main shutoff and every unit shutoff, and test that each one turns.
• Keep the sewer cleanout uncovered and reachable.
• Put the lateral on camera every few years in an older building, more often if it backs up.
• Track the age of every water heater; the Department of Energy says tank heaters typically last 10 to 15 years.
• Remind tenants each year that wipes and grease do not go down drains.
• Keep a list of which units share which drain stack.

For larger buildings and mixed-use properties, see our commercial plumbing page.

These are a few of the places with published 91723 addresses. They are useful landmarks to give us when you call:

The housing and its plumbing

The City's 2024 Housing Element says about two-thirds of Covina's homes were built before 1970, and code enforcement estimates about 30% need some repair and about 10% need major rehabilitation. In the older 91723 blocks, that shows up as:

• Galvanized supply pipe in original houses, with low pressure and rusty water after shutoffs. See our repiping page.
• Cast iron drains that scale inside and clog again soon after cleaning.
• Clay or cast iron laterals under parkway and yard trees, with roots at the joints.
• Back houses and converted garages with long drain runs tied into an old line. Ask for permit records if you are buying.
• Water heaters in tight spots that need new straps, a pan or a relief drain to meet Handout #12.

Cypress shows how the ZIP line wanders. Cypress Elementary at 351 W Cypress Ave carries a 91723 ZIP, while Northview High farther west at 1016 W Cypress St carries 91722. Neighbors on the same street can be in different ZIPs.

Covina has six water suppliers: City of Covina Water, Suburban Water Systems, Golden State Water, Valencia Heights Water Company, Azusa Light and Water, and Glendora Water. The City Water Division at 534 N Barranca Ave, 626-384-5220, serves about 33,300 people through about 8,500 connections and about 102 miles of mains.

The City's 2025 Consumer Confidence Report lists average hardness of 230 mg/L (range 190 to 280), about 13.5 grains per gallon. Its main supply is filtered San Gabriel River water from Covina Valley Water Company, with Metropolitan Water District water used in some months. The water met state and federal standards. In June 2025 the City sampled 32 homes for lead and copper and none were above action levels. The City also reports no lead or galvanized service lines needing replacement in its own system. That covers the City's pipes, not the pipe inside your home or building.

Hard water in apartments

Central water heaters in apartment buildings run nearly nonstop, and scale builds faster as a result. Sediment in the bottom of a tank makes popping noises and cuts hot water. Flushing on a schedule helps. A softener can help more. See our water softener page and the water suppliers and hardness guide.

Level 2 leak deadlines

The City has been at a Level 2 water shortage since August 4, 2022. For City water customers, a leak must be fixed within 48 hours after City notice. Outdoor watering is allowed Wednesday and Saturday from April to October and Wednesday only from November to March, never between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and no more than 10 minutes per station. In a building with many units, a running toilet in one apartment can add up fast. Our Covina water rules guide has the details, and the EPA's WaterSense program estimates household leaks can waste more than 9,300 gallons a year.

This Old House lists a typical plumbing job in Covina at $102 to $339. Angi's published range for a tank water heater replacement is $600 to $2,500 (2025). These are published estimates, not quotes. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote. See our plumbing costs guide for more ranges.