Valley Brook: a 160-acre town with oil-field roots
Valley Brook is a 160-acre town of its own, surrounded on every side by Oklahoma City. Its north edge is SE 59th Street and its east edge is Eastern Avenue, with Interstate 35 and Interstate 240 about half a mile to the west and south. The ground here sits in the middle of the Oklahoma City oil field. In the 1930s Cities Service ran a large operation in the area, and the first homes were oil-camp housing for its workers. Pipe yards and a drill collar manufacturer gave neighbors work close to home.
After World War II, builders laid out the Dotson-Merson and A. C. Anderson housing additions southwest of 59th and Eastern. In May 1956, with about a thousand residents, the community voted to incorporate. Voters later turned down annexation by Oklahoma City twice, in 1963 and again in 1988, and the 2020 census counted 662 people.
Valley Brook housing: almost entirely 1950s single-family homes
For a plumber in Valley Brook, the numbers point in one direction. The American Community Survey counts about 293 housing units in town, and nearly all of them are detached single-family houses. About 166 were built in the 1950s and another 49 in the 1940s. The median year built is 1955, older than Del City's 1964 and far older than Oklahoma City's 1982. Households are split almost evenly between owners and renters.
A house from 1955 has had seventy years for its pipes to age. Unless they have been replaced, the original water lines may be galvanized steel that has narrowed with rust, and the sewer lateral may be clay or cast iron. Both fail slowly: pressure fades, drains run sluggish, then one day the line backs up or a wet spot shows in the yard. If you own a rental here, a sewer camera inspection between tenants is a simple way to catch a failing line before it becomes an emergency.
Gas piping deserves the same attention. In a house this age, the lines feeding the water heater, furnace and range may have been extended or rerouted several times by different owners. If you ever smell gas, leave first and call from outside. For everything after that, from leak repair to pressure testing, see our gas line repair service.
Water, sewer and weather in Valley Brook
The town's trustees took steps to provide water and sewer service after incorporation, according to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Federal drinking water records today list a small groundwater system serving the area, Sooner Utilities-Valley Brook, with about 340 service connections. For meter, billing or outage questions, start with the provider named on your water bill. Leaks, low pressure and fixture problems on the house side of the meter are where we come in.
Weather is the other strain on old plumbing. A tornado struck Valley Brook in 2000, with no loss of life. In February 2021 Oklahoma City dropped to minus 14°F, its second-lowest temperature on record, according to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, and IBHS research treats 20°F as the point where pipes in southern homes are at risk. After any storm that damages a wall or roof, check for bent gas piping and broken vent pipes before you relight appliances. Before a freeze, insulate exposed lines or ask about plumbing winterization.
Permits in Valley Brook
Valley Brook has governed itself since 1956, so work inside town limits is not handled by Oklahoma City's permit office. Check with the town before larger jobs like a sewer line replacement or a new gas line. When a permit is required, we handle the application and meet the inspector, so the paperwork is one less thing on your list.
If you rent, your first call on a slow drip usually goes to the landlord. A burst pipe or a sewer backup cannot wait for business hours, though. Close the main shutoff, then call the property owner and call us, because we answer 24/7.
