Hydro Jetting in Arvada, CO

Who cleans the sewer line from my Arvada house to the street?

You do. The City of Arvada maintains more than 450 miles of public sewer pipe and sends wastewater to Metro Water Recovery for treatment, but its rules put the sewer service line from the house to the city main on the property owner. The city states plainly that it does not cut, clean or televise residential sewer service lines. A few areas inside city limits are served by other districts, such as Clear Creek Sanitation District or Ralston Valley Water and Sanitation District, so check your bill. Either way, the private line is a job for a plumber, and when it keeps clogging, jetting is the thorough fix.

Why does my older Arvada home keep clogging?

Arvada grew quickly after World War II from its farming past, once calling itself the Celery Capital of the World. Census survey figures put the median home at 1979, with about 52% built before 1980. Houses of that era can have cast iron drains inside and clay laterals outside. Cast iron builds up scale; clay joints shift and let roots in. A cable opens a channel through that, but the walls stay coated and the clog returns. Jetting cleans the full diameter of the pipe. On older lines, a plumber will usually run a camera first to make sure the pipe is sound.

Does what we flush really matter here?

It does, and Arvada puts it in writing: flushing wipes or paper towels violates the Arvada City Code. Wipes don't break down the way toilet paper does, and in a pipe already narrowed by scale or roots they snag and build into a plug. Kitchen grease does the same thing in a different spot. If a jetted line clogs again quickly, what goes down the drain is the first thing to look at. The city also prohibits sump pump discharge into the sanitary sewer.

A local note on repairs

If the camera finds a broken section, water and sewer service repair needs a City of Arvada permit. Work on private property can be permitted by a plumbing contractor, but any work in the public right-of-way requires a City General Municipal Contractor's license, so ask the plumber how they'll handle a repair that reaches the street. Building Services is at 720-898-7620.