Sewage Cleanup Denver: Pipes, Agencies and Policy Fine Print

A Denver address does not tell you which utility owns the sewer under the street. Inside the city and county the answer is one division of city government, and a few miles out it changes suburb by suburb. That question comes before any scrubbing, because it decides who inspects the pipe and whose repair follows.

Think of this page on sewage cleanup Denver homeowners search for as a map, not a checklist. It draws on utility pages, the Colorado health department and the Colorado Division of Insurance, and stops where they stop.

Three layers under one street

Sanitary sewage service for Denver Water customers inside the City and County of Denver comes from the Wastewater Management Division of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. The division says it maintains more than 1,525 miles of sanitary sewers and that its sanitary and storm systems are two completely independent systems.

Downstream sits Metro Water Recovery, which calls itself the wastewater treatment authority for most of metropolitan Denver. Its collection-system page says individual connectors maintain their systems, with the district typically taking ownership when an interceptor segment carries more than one connector's flow.

When the water came from a storm rather than a pipe, flood or storm water that may carry sewage is treated in a separate walk-through.

Corner of an unfinished concrete basement with a round gray cover set in the floor and white and copper pipes along the wall.

Past the city line the name on the door changes

Aurora Water says it maintains only city main lines in streets, alleys and easements. Lakewood's public works department safeguards sewer mains serving about 8,000 customers in north Lakewood, and says other parts of the city have a variety of service providers. Littleton checks its own mains and puts the service line with the owner. If you live in a suburb, look up your own sewer provider before assuming Denver's division applies.

Where the city's job ends and yours starts

Denver's wastewater FAQ says the city is only responsible for main public sewers. If the problem is in the city line, its personnel service the line, and if cleanup is necessary because of that line, the division says it will arrange to have it completed. If the problem is a private line, the owner contacts a plumber and repairs any damage that occurred.

Aurora is blunt about the opposite assumption. It calls it one of the most common misconceptions that the utility will make repairs and pay for damages, and puts the service line and resulting damages on the owner. Lakewood adds that half its sewer system is privately owned lateral lines, which it names as the cause of many sewage backups.

What the state health department expects from a cleanup

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment publishes a bulletin on household sewage backups, dated November 2011. It warns that untreated sewage contains bacteria, viruses and parasites, and says the first step is protective clothing. The CDC specifies rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles.

Standing wastewater comes out with a mop, wet vac or squeegee. Mattresses, pillows, books, upholstered furniture and most paper products should generally be discarded because they soak up contamination, while salvageable furnishings go to a professional cleaner. Drying can take several weeks in a basement, and mixing household cleaners can produce harmful vapors.

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Policy wording to read before a backup, not after

The Colorado Division of Insurance lists water backup coverage as an endorsement, an addition that changes the policy's terms, and says it covers damage from backups of sewers or drains. It also notes that flooding from rain water is typically excluded and says to ask your insurer about endorsements for it. Littleton states that sewer backups are not normally covered by a typical homeowner policy.

Neither source knows your policy. The Division says to read it or speak with your agent or insurer, and Littleton adds saving receipts and taking photographs during and after an incident.

What this site does and does not do

Sewage Cleanup Crew, LLC does not send crews of its own. It is a referral service for sewage problems at home that connects homeowners with local cleanup contractors, and the Contact Us button on this page starts that request. It does not replace a report to your sewer provider.

If the first sign in your house was a smell rather than water, start with this walk-through of tracing a sewer smell indoors.

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Common questions

Denver's wastewater FAQ says that when cleanup is necessary because of a problem in the city line, the division will arrange for it to be completed. Other utilities word this differently, so read your own utility's page.
Not automatically. The Denver division serves addresses inside the City and County of Denver. Aurora, Lakewood and Littleton each publish their own pages, and each places the service line with the property owner.
The Division of Insurance describes it as an endorsement, and Littleton says it is not normally covered by a typical policy. Your declarations and your agent give the real answer.
The state bulletin says minimal damage that is cleaned up promptly may only need cleaning and disinfecting. If damage was extensive, or the cleanup was not prompt, it says removing wallboard and insulation should be considered. It does not decide which applies to your house.