Utility Service Line Trenching in Grand Rapids, MI

Utility service line trenching is the digging that brings water, sewer, gas and power to a house, and runs lines to garages, pole barns and pools. In Grand Rapids and the surrounding cities, it usually means replacing an old water or sewer service between the house and the main. In the townships, it more often means a line from a private well, a building sewer to a septic tank, or a long power trench to an outbuilding.

Locates and start times

Every trench starts with a MISS DIG 811 locate request. MISS DIG specifies that excavation cannot begin before the start time on the request, even if all utilities have been marked, and that excavators must check for a positive response first. We hand dig close to marked lines.

Replacing water and sewer services

HomeAdvisor lists main water line replacement at an average of $1,702, with a typical range of $646 to $2,834 and $50 to $150 per linear foot. Sewer line projects run $1,388 to $5,323, with replacement at $60 to $250 per linear foot. Work in the street or sidewalk area in Grand Rapids falls under the city's right-of-way permits, which we confirm for your address.

Trenches in sand

In sandy outwash soils, trench walls slough off quickly. Anything deeper than about five feet must be sloped, benched or boxed under OSHA rules, and in loose sand we often protect shallower trenches too. In loamy till, walls stand better but groundwater seeps in during the wet season.

Depth and frost

Water lines must be deep enough to stay below frost in a West Michigan winter. Electric and gas lines have their own depth rules. We dig to the depth the utility or code requires, bed the line, and backfill in compacted layers.