Water Line Taps on Combined Sewer and Water Projects
An independent, licensed plumbing contractor. Not affiliated with Denver Water or the City and County of Denver.
When a property needs both a sewer tap and a water tap, or a water tap comes up during a sewer line project already underway, Denver Sewer and Water coordinates both so the trench opens once and both authorities inspect on a workable schedule. This page covers water tap work in that combined context, not as a standalone service.
- Combined sewer and water tap coordination on one site.
- One trench opened for both connections where feasible.
- Separate permits from separate authorities managed together.
- Utility locates covering both service paths at once.
- Sequencing that avoids opening the same ground twice.
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Why Combine a Water Tap With Sewer Work?
A property doing a sewer line replacement or a new sewer tap often needs water line work at the same time, whether that is a failing water service discovered during excavation, a planned upsizing, or new construction that needs both utilities run together. Opening the trench once for both, instead of digging the yard or the street twice, is the obvious efficiency, but it only works if both scopes are planned before the first shovel goes in.
The complication is that a sewer main and a water main are owned and regulated by separate authorities, sometimes the same utility and sometimes two entirely different ones. Each has its own permit, its own inspection requirement, and its own required separation distance from the other line. A trench dug for convenience without confirming both authorities' requirements first can end up needing to be reopened for whichever one was missed.
(720) 935-6221When combined tap coordination applies
- New construction needing both a sewer and a water tap at once.
- A sewer excavation that uncovers a failing water service in the same trench path.
- Site redevelopment replacing both utilities together.
- A property splitting a shared sewer and water service into separate connections.
- Water service upsizing scheduled during planned sewer line work.
How a Combined Sewer and Water Tap Project Runs
- 1
Locate both mains and verify separation
Sewer and water main depth, position, and material are confirmed, along with the required horizontal and vertical separation between the two new services.
- 2
Coordinate with both authorities having jurisdiction
Sewer and water taps are frequently governed by different entities, even within the same city, and each one's requirements are confirmed separately.
- 3
Right-of-way and traffic control permitting
Where either tap sits in a public street, permitting covers both scopes so the street is only cut and restored once.
- 4
Potholing and utility locates for both paths
Other buried utilities are located along both trench paths before excavation starts.
- 5
Excavate, tap, and set both services
Both connections are made in the sequence each authority requires, with proper separation maintained in the shared trench.
- 6
Inspect each connection, then backfill once
Each authority inspects its own tap, and only after both sign off does the trench get backfilled, compacted, and restored.
What Denver Customers Say About Working With Us
“Prompt service and worked well into the night to restore service due to hard soil. And did their best to prevent large scars to the yard”
“Denver Water And Sewer did an excellent job replacing my sewer lines. Trevor and his crew are extremely competent, honest, professional and prompt.”
“Denver Sewer and Water was a great experience. We had been out of water due to a water main leak into the house for 2 weeks. They came out, gave a go”
What Drives Cost on a Combined Tap Project
Combining the trench reduces total excavation and restoration cost compared to digging twice, but it does not reduce the number of fees, since each authority charges independently for its own tap, permit, and inspection. Depth of each main, soil conditions, and how far apart the two services must run in the trench all factor in.
Tap fees and permit fees for each utility are set by the authority with jurisdiction over that utility, not by us, and we do not publish amounts because they vary by authority and change on their own schedule.
Call (720) 935-6221 to get both scopes reviewed together.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We plan both taps together so the trench opens once. Call (720) 935-6221.