“They called 811 and had every mark checked before the machine left the yard. Then they found the old line to our barn that nobody had on a map.”
Marnie H.Water line, Piedmont
Sewer, water and septic lines · Rapid City, SD
Call 811 first. Then we dig.
We open the trench for the line from your house to the main, the well or the septic tank. The utilities are marked before the first scoop, and the topsoil goes back on top.
- Licensed and insured
- Written price before digging
- 811 called on every dig
One-call locate
Before anything is dug
Every dig starts with one call to 811. It is how the power, gas, water and phone companies find out you are digging and mark their buried lines. This is what happens on our jobs, in order.
You tell us where
Call or text the address and what you want to run: a sewer line, a water line, a tank. We walk the lot and mark the route we'd like in white paint.
We call 811
We place the request, not you. The center tells each utility with a line near your lot, and each has a set time to mark it.
The marks go down
Utility crews paint and flag their lines in colors. We check that every utility has answered before the machine leaves the yard.
We look for what 811 won't mark
Your septic line, well line and the wire to the barn are yours, and nobody marks them. We use your records, probe rods and a locator.
Then we dig
Machine where the ground is clear, hand tools near a mark. The pipe goes in on a bed, we photograph it before backfill, and you get the depth and distance from the house in writing.
Waiting periods and the distance to hand-dig near a mark are set by state law. Ask us what applies at your address.
Equipment and materials
What shows up on a dig
The machines, the pipe and the ground we work in.
Showing 6 of 6
Sample photos.
What we dig
Lines in, tanks in, trenches closed
Six jobs make up most of our work. Each one is a trench, a pipe and a clean backfill.
Sewer lines
House to the main, or house to the septic tank. Trench, pipe on a bed, a cleanout, and a slope that is measured.
Water service lines
From the main or the well to the house, below frost, with a shutoff you can find.
Septic tanks and drain fields
Tank and field trenches set to the design your county accepts. We dig it. We don't design it.
Trenches for other trades
Water or conduit to a shop, a barn or a second house. We open the trench and close it after the inspection.
Culverts and driveway crossings
Pipe under a lane or a driveway, bedded and covered so the road holds.
Builder work
Utility trenches and tie-ins for a new house, scheduled once the 811 marks are in.
Know what's marked
What 811 marks, and what it doesn't
Out here, the lines you can't see are often the ones you own.
| Line | You or we locate | 811 marks |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | You or we locatePiping past the meter to a shop, a grill or a generator | 811 marksThe utility's main and the line to your meter |
| Electric | You or we locateBuried wire to a barn, a well pump or yard lights | 811 marksThe utility's line to your meter |
| Water | You or we locateThe line from your well or pressure tank to the house | 811 marksThe main and the line to the meter |
| Sewer | You or we locateYour sewer line, the septic tank and the drain field | 811 marksThe city main, where there is one |
| Phone and fiber | You or we locateA line a past owner ran to an outbuilding | 811 marksThe carrier's line up to the house |
Edge of town and out past it
Rural lots have their own rules
The run from the house to the tank, the well and the road is long, and the lane in is gravel. We plan around that before the machine is loaded.
What we plan for
Access: gates, lane width and where the machine can turn
Distance: the run to a tank or well can be long, and it changes the price
Ground: Black Hills rock and clay are priced by the hour once we find them
Animals: we ask you to move livestock and dogs before we arrive
Sample reviews
What a finished job sounds like
“The inspector came the same week as the tank. They waited on him, then covered it. The lids are at grade, so I can find them.”
Samuel P.Septic replacement, Hermosa
“I gave them the plans and the dates. The trenches were open when the plumber came and closed when the framers did.”
Gertrude D.Builder, Box Elder
Sample reviews.
Questions
Questions we hear before a dig
Do you call 811, or do I?
We do, for any job we dig. We place the request, track each utility's answer and tell you when the marks are in. If you dig anything yourself, even a fence post, the call is yours, and it costs nothing to make.
Does 811 mark my septic line, well line or the wire to my barn?
No. 811 reaches the utilities that own the buried lines, and they mark those up to your meter. Everything you own past that point is on you or on us: the septic line, the well line, yard lights, the buried wire to a shop. We look for those before we dig.
Will I get a price before you start?
Yes, in writing, after the site walk and once the 811 marks show where the route can go. A route that is clear is priced as one number. Rock and other surprises are priced by the hour, and the estimate says so.
Do you pull permits?
We pull the permit for the line work we do. A septic system needs a design from someone your county accepts, and an inspection before we cover it. We install to that design, and we don't backfill until the inspector has looked.
Can you dig in winter?
Sometimes. Frost slows a trench and adds cost, and a septic field isn't dug in frozen ground. Builders' trenches and water lines can go in through the cold. The Dig calendar page shows what runs when.
What happens to my yard?
Topsoil is set aside and goes back on top. We compact the backfill in layers and rough-grade the ground. The trench settles over a season, and reseeding or sod is yours or your landscaper's, unless the estimate says otherwise.
Dig request
Tell us what needs to go in the ground
Send the address and what you want to run. We call back to set a site walk. Text a photo of the lot if you can.
Phone(605) 555-0101
Text(605) 555-0102
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 6:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed