Storm Drain Excavation and Re-Grading in Denver
An independent, licensed plumbing contractor. Not affiliated with Denver Water or the City and County of Denver.
Storm drain excavation is the machine work required to expose, replace, and correctly re-lay buried storm drainage. On storm systems the excavation is usually shallow and usually crosses the parts of a property people care most about, which makes planning the opening and the restoration the difference between a good job and a scar.
- Shallow trench work across finished landscape.
- Utility locating before any machine moves.
- Bedding and fall corrected, not just pipe replaced.
- Compacted backfill in lifts.
- Turf, concrete, and paver restoration.
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Why Does Storm Work Usually Mean Digging?
Because the two most common storm failures, crushing and lost grade, both require the pipe to be reached and re-laid. A crushed section cannot be repaired from inside. A section that has settled below fall has to be lifted and re-bedded, and there is no way to do that without exposing it.
The saving grace is depth. Storm lines are shallow, typically far shallower than a sanitary lateral, so the excavation is smaller and the work is quicker. The complication is what is above them, because shallow lines are the ones running under lawns, patios, and driveways.
(720) 935-6221Storm work that requires excavation
- Replacing crushed or collapsed sections.
- Re-laying a run that has settled out of fall.
- Setting or replacing a catch basin.
- Correcting a separated joint admitting soil.
- Extending or re-routing a discharge line.
- Installing new drainage where none exists.
How We Diagnose It
How Bedding and Fall Decide Whether the Repair Lasts
Storm pipe is generally thinner walled than sanitary pipe and depends on the material around it for its strength. Laid on lumpy native clay with rocks under it, a plastic drain pipe carries its load at point contacts and eventually deforms. Laid on graded bedding material, it is supported along its length.
Fall is the other half. A storm run needs continuous downhill grade, and getting that right on a shallow line across a flat yard is genuinely the hard part of the job. We set it with instruments rather than by eye, because an eye-levelled storm line across sixty feet is how bellies get built into new work.
What proper reinstatement includes
- Graded bedding material under the full pipe length.
- Fall set with instruments and verified before backfill.
- Backfill placed and compacted in lifts.
- Surface restored to match what was cut.
- A water test and camera run before the trench is closed.
How a Storm Excavation Runs
- 1
Locate and mark
Public utility locate plus our own trace of the storm run, marked on the surface. Shallow does not mean safe to dig blind.
- 2
Cut and open
Surface cut cleanly where it is hard, turf lifted where it can be replaced, spoil placed where it will not damage what stays.
- 3
Re-lay to grade
Bedding placed, pipe laid to instrument-set fall, joints made properly, and the line tested before cover.
- 4
Backfill and restore
Compacted lifts, then turf, concrete, or pavers restored to the standard of the surface that was opened.
What Denver Customers Say About Working With Us
“They cleared our drain where Roto Rooter couldn't and quoted us to replace the line under our concrete.”
“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.”
What Drives Storm Excavation Cost
Length of trench, surface type, and access. Storm excavation is rarely deep, so depth is less of a driver here than it is on sanitary work. What costs money is what is on top: mature turf, irrigation, pavers, concrete, and mature planting all have to be dealt with and put back.
Access matters because a machine that can reach the work does it in hours and hand digging takes days. Narrow gates and tight side yards genuinely change the price.
Call (720) 935-6221 and we will walk it before we quote it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Storm drainage that needs re-laying, not just clearing?
Bedding, fall, compaction, restoration. Call (720) 935-6221.