# Storm Drain Repair on Denver Area Properties

Storm drain repair corrects the physical defect stopping a private storm line from draining: a crushed section, a separated joint, a root-invaded fitting, a broken basin, or a length of pipe that has settled out of grade. Denver Sewer and Water cameras the run first so that the excavation goes to the defect rather than exploring for it.

- Crushed, separated, and collapsed sections.
- Basin and sump repair and replacement.
- Root intrusion at joints and penetrations.
- Grade correction where the run has settled.
- Defect located and marked before any digging.

## What Kinds of Defects Do Storm Lines Develop?

Crushing is the most common on residential systems, because much private storm drainage is thin-wall corrugated pipe with limited crush resistance, and it frequently runs under areas that later got a driveway, a patio, a shed, or regular vehicle traffic. Once a section flattens, everything upstream silts up behind it.

Joint separation is the second. Storm fittings are often push-fit and were sometimes installed without adequate bedding, so settlement pulls them apart. A separated joint admits soil into the pipe continuously, which is why some storm lines silt up far faster than the surface load explains.

- Crushed corrugated pipe under vehicle or structure loads.
- Separated push-fit joints admitting soil.
- Root masses at joints and basin penetrations.
- Cracked or collapsed catch basins.
- Sections settled below grade, holding standing water.
- Discharge points crushed by later construction.

## How We Locate a Storm Defect Before Digging

The camera records distance to the defect, and a sonde in the camera head lets us trace the position from the surface and mark it. That converts an open-ended excavation into a defined one, and on storm systems that matters more than usual because there is rarely a drawing to work from.

We also establish depth, because storm lines run shallow and shallow lines are precisely the ones sitting under the surfaces people care about. Knowing the depth before the machine arrives is how we plan the smallest opening that will do the job.

- Exact distance and depth to the defect.
- Surface position, marked on the ground.
- What surface has to be cut and how it will be restored.
- Whether other utilities cross the work area.
- Whether the run needs re-grading beyond the defect itself.

## How a Storm Drain Repair Runs

1. **Camera and locate** Full run survey, defect distance recorded, position and depth traced and marked on the surface.
2. **Plan the opening** Smallest excavation that reaches the defect safely, with the restoration standard agreed before anything is cut.
3. **Replace and re-grade** Defective section removed and replaced, bedded properly, and laid to a fall that actually drains.
4. **Verify and restore** Water run through the repaired line and confirmed on camera, then compacted backfill and surface restoration.

## What Drives Storm Repair Cost

Depth, length of the section being replaced, and surface type. A shallow repair in open turf is a modest job. The same repair under a concrete driveway carries a restoration cost that often exceeds the pipe work.

The other variable is how much of the run needs re-grading. Replacing a crushed section on a run that is otherwise well laid is straightforward. Replacing it on a run that has settled along its length means the correction extends beyond the visible defect, and we will explain why rather than doing the minimum and letting it fail again.

Call (720) 935-6221 and we will scope it and price the real fix.

## Frequently asked questions

**Can a storm drain be lined instead of dug up?**

Sometimes, on larger diameter runs in sound condition with correct grade. It is much less common than on sanitary lines, because most residential storm pipe is small diameter, thin walled, and the usual defect is crushing or lost grade. Neither of those is fixed by lining.

**My drain floods but the camera says the pipe is intact. What now?**

Then the problem is capacity or grade rather than damage. Either the run is too flat to move water at the volume the surface delivers, or the system is undersized for the catchment it serves. Both are correctable, and both need a design answer rather than a repair.

**Will you have to dig up my driveway?**

Only if the defect is under it, and we will tell you that before we start rather than discovering it on the day. We locate and mark the defect position first precisely so this is a known quantity.

**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 Scope and Video Inspection](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/storm-drains/storm-drain-scope-video-inspection) Camera survey of storm lines, basins, and outfalls before anyone quotes work.
- [Storm Drain Excavation](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/storm-drains/storm-drain-excavation) Machine work to expose, replace, and re-grade buried storm drainage.
- [Storm Drain Replacement and Installation](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/storm-drains/storm-drain-replacement-installation) New storm drainage and full replacement of runs that cannot be repaired.

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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/storm-drain-repair