Helpful Information

Emergency Procedures

If you are experiencing a problem or emergency related to your sanitary sewer, contact SASD’s Engineer, Kennedy Jenks, at 303-985-3636, or SASD’s maintenance contractor, Guildner Pipeline, at 303-288-2020.

When you call, we will discuss the situation with you to determine the best course of action. If you are having intermittent backups or sluggish flow, then the problem is more likely in your sanitary sewer line and not SASD’s main sanitary sewer line. We will recommend you contact a plumbing contractor to clean and scope your sanitary sewer line.

If you are experiencing a continued backup with sewage into your home, then there may be an issue with SASD’s main line. In this case, SASD’s maintenance contractor, Guildner Pipeline, will respond immediately and investigate the issue. If the sewage overflow is determined to be caused by an issue in SASD’s main line, then SASD will send a clean-up contractor who will dry out and sanitize your home where the spill has occurred. SASD does NOT pay for personal loss, re-construction of any sort or replacement of flooring.

sanitarysewerservice

Homeowner Responsibility

The sanitary sewer line from your home or building, up to and including the tap connection into SASD’s system, is your responsibility. You must make sure your sanitary sewer line is maintained so that you do not experience a sewer backup into your home or business.

Common Sanitary Sewer Issues

Sewer smells from a floor drain are most commonly caused by a dry “P-Trap.” Try pouring at least a gallon of water into the drain.

“Gurgling” and “Bubbling”. SASD’s maintenance contractor uses a high-pressure jet cleaning machine. When they are jet cleaning SASD’s main sanitary sewer lines you may hear gurgling or see water bubble in the toilet bowl. In rare cases, water may splash out of a toilet bowl. Jet cleaning does not damage your sanitary sewer line. We do recommend that you make it a habit to keep toilet lids down so that water is less likely to escape the toilet bowl.

Root intrusion caused by nearby trees and shrubs. Roots can maneuver their way into the sanitary sewer at pipe joints, cracks, or holes. The roots can cause a lot of damage to a sanitary sewer line and cause backups. A professional plumber can verify the condition of your sanitary sewer line and remove the roots if necessary.

Flushing Wipes or Heavy Paper Debris. Wet “flushable” wipes are marketed as being decomposable. While this may be true to some extent, these products are not likely to decompose in the seconds it travels in your sanitary sewer line or SASD’s mainline. Wipes can easily get caught up in roots or accumulate in areas of the sanitary sewer line where there is low flow and cause blockages. It is recommended not flush these products and to dispose of them in the garbage.

Best Management Practices

Do:

  • Do throw all food waste in garbage. Limit the use of a garbage disposal if you have any concern about backups in your sanitary sewer line.
  • Do use paper towel to soak up fats, oils, and grease, and toss paper towel in the garbage.
  • Do install strainers in sink drains to collect food debris, hair, or other material before it can enter the drain. Clean strainer and toss debris in garbage.

Don’t:

  • Don’t put fats, oils, grease (FOG) or food debris in the drains. Collect with a paper towel or drain strainer and toss in garbage.
  • Don’t pour bleach directly in the drain. Bleach dewaters grease and can make it hard as concrete.
  • Don’t use chemicals improperly. Follow directions on label, for your safety and the environments.
  • Don’t flush diapers, sanitary napkins, medical supplies, wet “flushable” wipes*, or paper towels.

Frequently Asked Questions

South Arapahoe Sanitation District is located in the service area for the Littleton/Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant. This plant treats the sewage from South Arapahoe Sanitation District’s customers. The City of Englewood’s billing department is the billing entity for some of the Districts that contribute flows to their plant, including South Arapahoe.

South Arapahoe Sanitation District is listed as one of the taxing authorities in Arapahoe County Assessor’s listing, even though South Arapahoe has no tax levy. You can visit Arapahoe County Assessor’s website and input your address to see if your property is located in South Arapahoe Sanitation District. You can also use our Contact Us form.

If sewage is backing up into your home, the first thing to do is to stop running water in your home (i.e. toilets, washing machines, dish washers). If the backup stops, then the blockage is in the sewer service line extending from your home to the District’s main line in the street. If sewage continues to back up into your home while you are not running water, then there may be a blockage in the main District line to which your service line connects. In this case, immediately call Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, the District’s engineering representative, at 303-985-3636; or Guildner Pipeline Maintenance, the District’s maintenance contractor, at 303-288-2020, if the backup occurs outside normal business hours.

 

The best way to prevent sewage from backing up into your home is to keep your sewer service free of grease and roots.  Click here for some best management practices to keep grease and oil out of your sewer service. Click here for a memo that explains what you can do to address root problems in your sewer service.

The first thing to do if you smell a sewage odor in your home is to pour water down the basement floor drain. If the water in the trap evaporates, sewage gases can come through the pipes and into your home. The second step may be to have a plumber check the vents in your home to make sure they are not blocked.

 

For final billings, call the City of Englewood's billing department at (303)762-2635.

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Arapahoe County
www.arapahoegov.com

City of Centennial
www.centennialco.gov

City of Englewood
https://englewoodco.gov

City of Greenwood Village
www.greenwoodvillage.com

City of Littleton
www.littletongov.org

Colorado Department of Local Affairs
cdola.colorado.gov

Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
cdphe.colorado.gov

Colorado Special Districts Association
www.sdaco.org

Denver Water 
www.denverwater.org

South Platte Water Renewal Partners Wastewater Treatment Plant
southplatterenewco.gov

South Metro Fire Rescue
www.southmetro.org

South Suburban Parks and Recreation
www.ssprd.org

Southgate Water and Sanitation Districts
www.southgatedistricts.org

Urban Drainage and Flood Control
www.udfcd.org

Willows Water District
www.willowswater.org

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