Sewer Line Replacement in Erie, CO

Erie's sewer and how the town has grown

Erie's town utility bills include wastewater charges along with water and storm drainage, so for most addresses the Town of Erie is the sewer provider. The town's pages we reviewed don't say where its responsibility for a sewer connection ends and the owner's begins, so call Utility Billing at 303-926-2700 to confirm for your address before a contract is signed.

Erie was settled in 1867 as a coal-mining town and incorporated in 1874, and it straddles the Boulder-Weld county line. The historic Old Town on Briggs Street holds the oldest homes, which are the likeliest to have clay or cast iron drain lines that have cracked or let roots in along their length. Most of Erie's housing, though, comes from its recent fast growth, and those homes generally have plastic pipe. When a newer line fails, the cause is more often a sag where soil settled, a poorly bedded joint or damage from later digging.

Warning signs

• Main-line backups that keep returning
• Water coming up in the lowest drain in the house
• Gurgling when other fixtures drain
• A sewage smell or wet ground along the line

Permits and timing

The Town of Erie Building Division, at 645 Holbrook Street (303-926-2780), requires permits for plumbing modifications, and its plumbing permit subtypes include sewer line repair. The plumber you hire will usually file the permit and schedule the inspection before backfilling. For a newer home, it's worth confirming on camera that the whole line needs replacing, since a single sag can sometimes be dug up and reset on its own. Planning work outside the coldest weeks keeps excavation simpler. In Old Town, where lots are older and trees larger, ask for a copy of the inspection video so you can compare quotes on the same footage and see exactly where the roots or breaks are.