Plumber in Highland Park, TX: Sewer, Drain and Water Line Replacement

The Census Bureau's ACS 2024 5-year estimates put the median year a Highland Park housing unit was built at 1977, with about 51% of units built before 1980 and about 66% before 1990. Roughly 1,000 units, or about 28% of the stock, date to 1939 or earlier — a higher pre-1980 share than Dallas as a whole.

John S. Armstrong named the town in 1906 for the high ground overlooking downtown Dallas. Wilbur David Cook and George E. Kessler laid out the streets in 1907, setting aside about 20% of the land for parks. Residents voted to incorporate on November 29, 1913, after Dallas declined annexation; incorporation took effect in 1915, with W. A. Fraser as the first mayor. Highland Park West was built in 1924 west of Preston Road. Highland Park Village opened in 1931 and is described as the first shopping center of its type in the United States. Dallas later annexed the surrounding land, leaving an island town.

If your house predates 1980, a camera inspection will show whether the drain is original. Austin Chalk is exposed along Turtle Creek; expansive clays over that bedrock are hard on older joints and under-slab plumbing.

The Town of Highland Park provides retail water and sewer service and maintains the local mains. Treated water is purchased from the Dallas County Park Cities Municipal Utility District, which supplies surface water from Grapevine Reservoir via the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The town operates about 37 miles of sewer lines and contracts with Dallas Water Utilities for treatment.

The town's own utility guidance says a water-line leak between the meter and the house is, in most cases, the property owner's responsibility. The sewer service line from the house to the town's connection, including under-slab plumbing, is typically the owner's as well; confirm the exact split with the town if a break is in the street. If several neighbors back up at once, call the town first.