The borough runs it all
In Hanover, water, stormwater and sanitary sewer service all come from the borough’s Department of Water Resources. It runs the water system from source to tap, including a filtration plant permitted for about 11 million gallons a day, and a regional wastewater treatment plant that averages around 4.4 million gallons a day. It also extends water and sewer service to neighbouring municipalities in York and Adams counties.
For homeowners this keeps things simple: the borough is the call for main breaks, pressure across the neighbourhood, discoloured water and sewage problems in the street. Anything on your side of the meter and the property line, including the sewer lateral, is a plumber’s job.
Living just outside the borough?
Hanover’s water and sewer systems reach well beyond the borough line into neighbouring townships in York and Adams counties. If you live in one of those areas, you may still be a borough water customer. The borough notes that service inside Hanover follows its own resolutions, while service outside the borough follows Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulations and a published water tariff, which also spells out customer rights and responsibilities. Your bill tells you which rules apply, and the borough’s Water Resources pages link to the tariff.
Mains from 1880 to 2024
The borough’s 211 miles of water distribution pipe were installed over a span of nearly a century and a half, from 1880 to 2024. That range matters inside your house too: a street with century-old mains usually has houses of a similar age, and the service lines feeding them may be just as old.
If your water pressure has faded slowly over years, or the first water of the morning runs rusty, the culprit is often an old galvanized service line or interior piping rather than the main. Water line replacement explains how to check the material where the line enters the basement and what replacement involves. If you are unsure whether you have a lead or galvanized line, ask the borough what its records show for your address.
Spring and fall hydrant flushing
The borough flushes its hydrants twice a year, in spring and fall, to clear sediment from the mains. During and after flushing, tap water can run cloudy or discoloured for a while. It is a normal part of maintaining the system, but it catches people out.
During flushing:
- Avoid running hot water or laundry until the cold tap runs clear, so sediment isn’t drawn into the water heater or onto clothes.
- Run a cold tap for a few minutes to clear the line once flushing is done in your area.
- Clean faucet aerators if flow drops afterward; sediment collects in the screens.
If discoloured water persists well after flushing, or only your house is affected, that is a sign of something else, such as corroded pipe or a failing water heater.
Older homes, coldest winters
Census estimates show about a third of Hanover homes were built in 1939 or earlier and more than half before 1960, with a median year of 1956. Attached rowhomes and townhouses make up a little over a fifth of the housing.
The nearest NOAA station with temperature normals records about 122 nights a year at or below freezing and an average winter low around 23°F, the most freezing nights of any place we cover. Older houses with pipes along exterior walls, in crawlspaces and in unheated porches are at real risk in a cold snap. Insulate exposed lines, shut off outdoor faucets from inside in the fall, and know where your main shutoff is. If a pipe splits, see burst and frozen pipe repair.
Sewer laterals
Most sewer calls in an older borough come down to the lateral between the house and the main: roots, separated joints, sags and cracked pipe. Repeated backups after cleaning call for a sewer camera inspection; sewer line repair covers the fixes. Before any work near the street, ask the borough whether a permit or inspection is required. And keep sump pumps and downspouts out of the sewer; the extra water has to be pumped and treated at the borough’s plant. See sump pump repair.
Local contacts
Water, sewer and stormwater: Borough of Hanover Department of Water Resources. Sources are linked below.
Hanover plumbing questions
Why is my water cloudy or brown this week?
If it is spring or fall, the borough may be flushing hydrants in your area. Run a cold tap until it clears and hold off on hot water and laundry.
Who supplies water and sewer service in Hanover?
The borough’s Department of Water Resources runs both, along with stormwater.
How old are the water mains?
The borough’s distribution pipes were installed between 1880 and 2024, so ages vary widely by street. The borough can tell you what it knows about the main and service line serving your address.
Why do pipes freeze so often here?
Hanover’s nearest climate station records the most freezing nights of any area we cover, and many homes are older with exposed pipes.
I live in Penn Township. Do borough rules apply to my water service?
If you are a borough water customer outside Hanover, service follows Public Utility Commission regulations and the borough’s water tariff rather than the in-borough resolutions. For help with the pipes in your house, see how calls work, or emergency plumbing if water is coming in now.