Spring: what the first canal water of the year exposes
Secondary water in Bluffdale comes from canal companies, not from the city. Bluffdale City's secondary water page names the Utah and Salt Lake Canal, Welby Jacobs, Utah Lake Distributing, East Jordan and South Jordan canals as sources. The companies set the startup date, so ask yours or the city instead of copying a neighbor's sprinklers.
Startup day is when winter damage shows itself. A hose bib that froze in January can look fine until the line is under pressure, then spray into the wall behind it. Open each outdoor valve slowly and look at the wall and the ceiling below it. A drip at the stem is a small repair, but water inside a wall is a leak detection job.
- Hose bibs.Open slowly, watch for spray behind the faucet, and check the inside wall.
- Main shutoff.Turn it fully closed and open again. A valve that sticks in April will fail you in a real emergency.
- Water heater and softener.Look for rust streaks or damp rings around fittings and the base.
- Sprinkler zones.A dead zone usually means a broken head, a cracked lateral or a clogged filter.
Summer: irrigation season and the backflow rules that come with it
Canal water is not drinking water, and it must never connect to the pipes you drink from. Bluffdale's Cross Connection Program inspects properties with secondary water access. Its 2024 water quality report says an RPZ backflow preventer is required where there is risk and must be tested every year.
If your irrigation touches the house supply in any way, ask the city which assembly it expects before anyone cuts a pipe. We install and repair plumbing-side connections, and we tell you plainly when a job needs the city's inspection first.
Spraying water in July is usually a sprinkler line, not the house supply. Find the valve where the irrigation line enters your yard and close it. If the spray keeps going, or the wet spot is on the house side, call us and we trace the line.
Summer is also when scale on fixtures gets noticed. Bluffdale's 2024 report lists average total hardness of 189.4 mg/L, close to the figure of about 190 mg/L in Riverton's 2022 report. If scale clogs your aerators and coats heater elements, a water softener is worth pricing, but test your tap first.
Water spraying or a basement filling in Bluffdale?
Call the 24/7 emergency line and give your street address, not only the ZIP. Shut the main valve while you wait.
Fall: shutting the system down before the first hard freeze
Close the irrigation supply
Shut the secondary valve when your canal company ends the season, then open the drain points so the line empties.
Take the hoses off
A hose left on a bib keeps water pressed against the faucet, which is a common reason bibs split.
Blow out the sprinkler lines
Use a compressor with a regulator. Too much air pressure cracks fittings and heads.
Wrap exposed pipe
Check the garage, crawlspace and any pipe along an exterior wall. Insulate what you can reach.
Learn the main valve
Everyone in the house should know where it is and which way it turns.
Winter: when a frozen pipe becomes an emergency
The nearest published weather normals are from Salt Lake City airport, not Bluffdale, so treat them as a guide. That station averages about 112 days a year with a low at or below 32 degrees F, and its January normal low is 24.2 F. Your street can run colder or warmer on any given night.
If a faucet runs dry in a freeze, open it and warm the pipe with a hair dryer. Never use an open flame. If a pipe has already split, close the main valve, leave it closed and call us. A cracked line inside a wall or under a slab needs water line repair by someone who can find the break, not a guess.
The Bluffdale plumbing calendar
| Season | Watch for | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Spray from a split hose bib, damp wall or ceiling | Open valves slowly and call for leak detection if water runs inside a wall |
| Summer | Sprinkler spray, scale on fixtures, backflow test due | Close the irrigation valve, book the yearly RPZ test where it applies |
| Fall | Hoses left on, full sprinkler lines | Drain lines, blow out laterals, insulate exposed pipe |
| Winter | A dry faucet, frost on exterior walls | Open the tap, close the main if a pipe split, call the 24/7 line |
What we know about water, permits and sewer in Bluffdale
Drinking water
Bluffdale buys culinary water from Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. The 2024 report lists hardness of 189.4 mg/L on average, so expect scale and test before sizing any softener.
Secondary water
Canal companies run it, not the city. Confirm start and stop dates with your company, because Riverton's March 15 valve shutoff is a different system.
Permits
Bluffdale's exempt list covers stopping leaks, clearing stoppages and reinstalling a toilet without changing valves or pipes. Replacing defective concealed piping needs a permit and inspection.
Sewer
Jordan Basin Improvement District serves Bluffdale, with offices on Jordan Basin Lane in town. It maintains the main, and the private line from your house to the main is yours.
A slow main drain is a drain cleaning call, but check the cleanout first. The district says standing water at the cleanout points to a blockage between your house and the main, so call the district. A dry cleanout points to your own house plumbing, and that is ours to clear.
Before we arrive at your Bluffdale home
Shut the main valve
Turn it clockwise until it stops. If it will not close or it leaks, tell us on the call. In a freeze, open one tap on the lowest floor to drain the line.
Kill power near the water
Switch off breakers for wet outlets, the water heater and any sump area under a leak. Do not wade through standing water to reach a panel.
Clear the area
Lift rugs, boxes and stored items off the wet floor, and keep kids and pets out of a flooded basement.
Call the 24/7 line
Give the street, the nearest cross street and what you can see or hear. ZIP 84065 is shared with Riverton, so the address matters more than the ZIP.
Serving 84065 from next door
Our shop is at 2600 W 12600 S in Riverton, and Bluffdale sits just south of the Riverton line. Both towns use ZIP 84065, including Bluffdale City Hall at 2222 W 14400 S. A call from either side reaches the same dispatch.
If your property is out toward Camp W. G. Williams, the Utah National Guard training site near Bluffdale, say so on the call. Addresses at the edge of town are easier to find with a landmark.
We also dispatch to Herriman on the west side of town and Draper to the east, and the same 24/7 line covers all three.
Rules and sources behind this page
According to Bluffdale City's permit-exempt list, stopping leaks, clearing stoppages and removing and reinstalling toilets without replacing valves, pipes or fixtures are exempt from a permit, while replacing defective concealed piping needs a permit and inspection. The IPC sets the broader code. Utah Code 15A-2-103 adopts the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as the state plumbing code, effective July 1, 2026, with Utah amendments on top.
Bluffdale's 2024 water quality report lists average total hardness of 189.4 mg/L. Call the city building office at 801-254-2200 for anything the exempt list does not cover.
Bluffdale plumbing questions
Bluffdale uses ZIP 84065, and that is the only ZIP we list for the town. It is the same ZIP as Bluffdale City Hall on 14400 S and our own Riverton shop on 12600 S.
Because the ZIP is shared, we always ask for your street address and nearest cross street.
Yes. The 24/7 emergency line is open nights, weekends and holidays, and licensed plumbers take Bluffdale calls from our Riverton base next door. While you wait, shut the main valve and keep people away from wet electrical areas.
The canal companies set the dates, not the city, so ask your company or Bluffdale City. Riverton's schedule, with valves shut by March 15 and a tentative May 1 activation, belongs to a different system and is not a guide.
Look for the valve where the irrigation line enters your yard, close it, and see whether the spray stops. If it does, the break is on the irrigation side.
If it does not stop, close the home's main valve and call us.
Bluffdale's exempt list covers stopping leaks, repairing leaks and clearing stoppages. Replacing defective concealed piping requires a permit and inspection. Call Bluffdale City Hall about your specific job, since the city takes submittals by email.
Jordan Basin Improvement District maintains the main. The line from your house to the main is the homeowner's. Standing water at the cleanout suggests a blockage toward the main, so the district should hear about it.
Keep people and pets out of the area and do not run water until it is cleared.
Bluffdale on the map
The map below is centered on Bluffdale, one of the four towns that border Riverton.