Drain and Sewer Help in Downtown York, PA

Downtown York is the oldest part of the city. The York Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1979 and expanded in 2008, covers about 723 acres of the downtown core and nearby residential blocks, roughly bounded by rail lines, Hartley Street, Lilac Lane and Codorus Creek. Its buildings range from the 1760s to the early 1900s: churches, theaters, hotels, a railroad station, factories and many private houses.

The downtown quirk is water. The core grew up along Codorus Creek, and the city has a long flood history there. During Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972, York County received about 16 inches of rain, about 1.1 million gallons per minute spilled over Indian Rock Dam, and damage in the City of York reached about $10 million.

York's sewer system today is separate, which means storm water is supposed to stay out of the sanitary pipes. But old laterals and basement drains in downtown buildings are often cracked, patched or made of several materials joined over the years. During heavy rain, ground water finds its way into those openings, the line runs full, and the lowest drain in the building backs up. For owners and tenants downtown, a backup that only happens in storms is a sign to look at the lateral, not just the clog.

Older mixed-use buildings add another layer. A building with a shop on the ground floor and apartments above may have several kitchens and bathrooms draining into one old line, and grease from a restaurant or kitchen can narrow it quickly. For general drain help across the city, see the York drain cleaning overview.

The wastewater from downtown runs to the York City treatment plant on Black Bridge Road, downstream along Codorus Creek. The plant and the public mains have belonged to Pennsylvania American Water since May 2022.

Downtown sits at the center of the city along Codorus Creek. Head north and northwest and you reach the Victorian and Foursquare blocks of Northwest York. Head west across the city's west side and you come to the borough of West York, a pre-war rowhome community with its own permits.

North York borough lies to the north, Spring Garden Township to the south, and the treatment plant sits along the creek on Black Bridge Road. Coverage for your exact address is confirmed on the call.

Rail lines and the creek shape how neighborhoods connect around downtown.