The Woodlands is a 28,500-acre master-planned community located about 27 miles north of downtown Houston, organized into distinct villages including Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek, Cochran's Crossing, Alden Bridge, Sterling Ridge, and Creekside Park. The oldest villages, Grogan's Mill and Panther Creek, were developed beginning in 1974, meaning many homes there now carry plumbing systems that are 40 to 50 years old, including original cast iron drain lines and copper supply piping that has been stressed by decades of clay soil movement. Newer villages like Sterling Ridge and Creekside Park feature more recent construction with PEX and CPVC systems, high-performance fixtures, and tankless water heaters. The community's dense tree canopy creates persistent root intrusion pressure on sewer lines across all villages, and the area's hard water accelerates mineral buildup inside water heaters and fixture valves.