# Water Line Taps on Combined Sewer and Water Projects

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.

## 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.

- 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 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

**Can a sewer tap and a water tap share the same trench?**

Often yes, as long as the required separation distance between the two lines is maintained and both authorities approve the arrangement. We confirm that separation requirement before combining the dig.

**Do I need two separate permits for a combined project?**

Yes in almost every case, because sewer and water are typically governed by different fee schedules and inspection processes even when the same utility owns both mains. We manage both applications together so the schedule stays aligned.

**What if the sewer excavation uncovers a failing water line?**

We stop and assess it before backfilling. Replacing the water line while the trench is already open is almost always more efficient than closing it and reopening later, once the water authority's requirements are confirmed.

**Does combining the work save money?**

It typically reduces excavation and restoration cost since the ground is only opened once, though the tap and permit fees themselves are unchanged and set independently by each authority.

**Is this the same as your main water tap service page?**

No. This page addresses water tap work specifically in the context of a combined sewer and water project. Our full water tap service, including standalone water taps, is covered on the water line tap services hub.

**Does Denver Water coordinate both sewer and water taps for me?**

No. Denver Sewer and Water is a private, family owned and operated company. We are not Denver Water or the City and County of Denver. The utility or municipality with jurisdiction owns the main, sets fees, and inspects the work. We are the licensed contractor who performs the physical tap.

## Related Sewer and Water Tap Services

- [Water Line Tap Services](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/water-lines/water-line-tap-services/denver-co) Water line taps to the public main, installed and repaired.
- [Sewer Line Tap Services](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/sewer-lines/sewer-line-tap-services/denver-co) Sewer line taps to the public main, installed and repaired.
- [Water Line Tap Connection](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/water-line-tap-services/water-line-tap-connection/denver-co) Making the physical connection between a service line and the water main.
- [Sewer Line Tap Connection](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/sewer-line-tap-services/sewer-line-tap-connection/denver-co) Making the physical connection between a service line and the sewer main.
- [Sewer Lines in Denver](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/sewer-lines/denver-co) The full sewer line lane: repair, replacement, trenchless, and inspection.
- [Water Lines in Denver](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/water-lines/denver-co) The full water line lane: repair, replacement, and tap work.

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Denver Sewer and Water is a privately owned, licensed and insured plumbing contractor. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Denver Water, the municipal water utility, or any government entity. To pay a municipal water bill or reach the public utility, visit denverwater.org.

Source: https://www.denversewerandwater.com/sewer-lines/water-line-tap-services