# Emergency Storm Drain Repair During Denver Storm Events

An emergency storm drain call is active flooding, a collapse that has opened a void at the surface, or a blockage putting water into a building right now. Denver Sewer and Water responds to those, relieves the water first where it can be relieved safely, and diagnoses the cause once the property is out of danger.

- Active flooding and water entering buildings.
- Collapses and surface voids over storm runs.
- Blocked basins during a storm event.
- Relief first, diagnosis second.
- Call (720) 935-6221.

## What Counts as a Storm Drainage Emergency?

Water entering a building through a window well, a below-grade doorway, or a basement egress is the clearest case. So is water accumulating against a foundation with nowhere to go, because that becomes water inside the building shortly afterwards.

The other emergency is structural. When a storm run collapses, the soil above it migrates into the void and eventually the surface drops. A sinkhole over a storm line on a driveway or a walkway is both a failure and a hazard, and it will keep growing as long as water keeps running into it.

- Water entering a below-grade space during a storm.
- A window well filling and rising toward the sill.
- A depression or hole opening over a known drain run.
- A basin backing up and flooding a driveway or lot.
- Water ponding against a foundation with no outlet.

## What We Do First on a Storm Emergency

Relief where relief is possible. That often means opening and clearing the collection point that has blocked, because a basin packed with leaf mass during a storm is a blockage that can be removed in minutes and it is regularly the whole problem. Where the line itself is blocked, vacuum extraction at the nearest access can restore enough capacity to stop the damage.

Where the failure is a collapse, the priority changes to making it safe. The void gets secured and, where possible, water gets diverted away from it, because water continuing to run into a collapse enlarges it.

- Identify where the water is entering and stop that path if possible.
- Clear the collection point that has blocked.
- Vacuum or jet the run to restore capacity.
- Secure any surface void and divert water away from it.
- Camera the system once the event has passed.

## How an Emergency Storm Call Runs

1. **Call and triage** What is flooding, where the water is entering, and whether there is a void at the surface. That sets the response and tells you what to do before we arrive.
2. **Relieve the water** Clear the blocked basin or run and restore enough capacity to stop the damage progressing.
3. **Secure any hazard** Voids and collapses fenced off and water diverted away from them.
4. **Diagnose and scope** Once the event has passed, camera the system and price the permanent correction with the cause identified.

## What Emergency Storm Work Costs

Emergency response pricing reflects the hour and the conditions, and we tell you that on the phone rather than after. What we will not do is quote a permanent repair while the water is still running, because nobody knows the cause yet at that point.

The permanent scope gets priced after the camera survey, when it can be priced honestly.

Call (720) 935-6221.

## Frequently asked questions

**What can I do while I wait for you during a storm?**

Clear anything you can safely reach from the top of a grate or basin, because leaf mass across a grate is often the entire blockage. Move water away from the building where you can do it safely. Do not stand on or near ground that has dropped over a drain line, and keep children and pets away from it.

**A hole has opened in my driveway over a drain. Is that urgent?**

Yes. A void at the surface over a storm run means the pipe below has failed and soil is migrating into it. It will keep enlarging while water keeps running in, and the surface around it is undermined further than the visible hole suggests. Keep vehicles and people off it and call us.

**Will homeowners insurance cover storm drain failure?**

That depends entirely on your policy and on whether the damage is treated as a maintenance issue or a sudden event. We document what we find and provide the camera footage, which is what an adjuster will want. What the policy covers is between you and the insurer.

**Who owns the storm drain on my property?**

In almost every case across the Denver metro, the storm drainage inside the property line is private. Area drains, trench drains, downspout lines, private catch basins, and the pipe carrying that water to the connection point are the owner's responsibility. The public system generally begins at the connection in the right-of-way.

**Are you the city stormwater department?**

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. We work on the privately owned storm drainage on your property. The public system in the street belongs to the municipality.

## Related Storm Drain Services

- [Storm Drains in Denver](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/storm-drains/denver-co) The full storm drainage lane: inspection, cleaning, repair, and replacement.
- [Storm Drain Cleanout](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/storm-drains/storm-drain-cleanout) Clearing silt, gravel, leaf mass, and root growth from storm lines and basins.
- [Storm Drain Repair](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/storm-drains/storm-drain-repair) Fixing collapsed, offset, root-bound, and separated storm drain runs.
- [Storm Drain Excavation](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/storm-drains/storm-drain-excavation) Machine work to expose, replace, and re-grade buried storm drainage.

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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/storm-drains/emergency-storm-drain-repair