When Water Is Spreading in Arvada
If water is moving through an Arvada home right now, call dispatch and close the main valve if a supply line is the source. Dispatch from our Wheat Ridge base answers 24/7, and Arvada City Hall sits roughly two miles north of our address on a straight line, so crews do not start from far away. Arrival times are never promised, since traffic decides them.
Around-the-clock dispatch
Emergency dispatch is available around the clock for Arvada, including nights, weekends and holidays.
Water heaters and supply lines
The most frequent calls come from failed tanks, braided hoses and toilet supply lines.
Creek and storm water
Ralston Creek and its tributaries are the named flood paths in the city's own records.
Sewer backups
Backups come through basement floor drains and need containment before cleanup.
Our emergency water removal page explains the pump and extraction side, and water mitigation explains drying. Both apply to Arvada addresses exactly as they do in Wheat Ridge.
What the City's Own Records Say About Arvada Flooding
The City of Arvada states that its floodplains took effect in 1974 and that most of the neighborhoods along the creeks, including Ralston Creek, were already built. In plain terms, many creekside homes were built before the mapping that now governs them. The city adds that everyone has flood risk, even outside the mapped floodplain.
The most recent named event in the city's own report is the flood of September 11 to 13, 2013. That report names Leyden Creek as the most severe, with Ralston Creek, Van Bibber Creek, Moon Gulch and the Croke Canal also affected. It also records sewer surcharges, including some homes along Leyden Creek and a few homes near 64th Avenue and Miller Street.
A sewer surcharge means the public sewer fills enough that wastewater pushes back toward homes, and that is how a flood becomes a basement sewage problem. If that is what happened, flood damage restoration explains the contaminated-water handling.
Arvada flooding or a leak right now?
Call dispatch and we will tell you the safe next step.
Sewer Lines, Sump Pumps and Who Owns What
Arvada's Utilities Department provides water and sewer service for most of the city, and wastewater is treated by Metro Water Recovery. The city's published guidance says the homeowner maintains the sewer service line from the house to the city main and that the city does not cut, clean or televise the residential portion. The Utilities Department's main and emergency line is 720-898-7070.
The city also states that discharging a sump pump into the sanitary sewer is prohibited, and that discharge should go to a landscaped surface. That matters for water damage, because a sump pump hose draining in the wrong place can overload the sewer line or put water back against the foundation.
Parts of Arvada are served by other districts, including Ralston Valley Water and Sanitation, Valley Water, Clear Creek Sanitation, North Table Mountain Water, Consolidated Mutual Water and Denver Water. Which one serves your address affects who you call about a main line problem.
Arvada Homes, From the 1945 Boom to Today
The city's history page describes a housing boom beginning around 1945 north of Ralston Road. Its 2024 housing assessment adds that the median year built for homes sold in 2022 and 2023 was 1977 and that about three quarters of the housing stock was built before 2000. Seventy-one percent of housing units are detached single-family homes.
Those ages point to aging water heaters, galvanized or older copper lines, original roofs and sump pumps near the end of their life. A 1977 house is now almost fifty years old, and the plumbing behind a finished basement wall has usually never been inspected.
Arvada Places and What They Mean for Water Calls
Olde Town Arvada
The historic district along Olde Wadsworth Boulevard has older buildings with older plumbing, and commercial losses there need building access coordinated first.
Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd
Wadsworth Boulevard runs straight north from our Wheat Ridge address to the Arvada Center, so Arvada is a short straight run for dispatch.
Ralston Creek Trail and Memorial Park
The trail runs about eleven miles along the creek, and Memorial Park at 8151 W 59th Ave sits beside it, so nearby properties are the ones to watch in heavy rain.
Westminster ZIP codes
ZIP codes 80030 and 80031 belong to Westminster, which lies in Jefferson County west of Sheridan Boulevard and Adams County east of it. Those addresses call the same dispatch line but fall outside this page.
If Water Is Still Spreading, Do This Before We Arrive
Stop the source
Turn the main valve off. If the water is rising from a drain, stop using water in the house.
Stay clear of power
Leave the breakers alone unless the panel is dry and within easy reach. Gas smell or sparking means phone the utility or 911.
Lift and protect
Raise valuables and small furniture, and place foil or blocks under wood legs on wet carpet.
Record the damage
Photograph the water and the damaged items before moving them, and contact your insurer.
Arvada Costs, Insurance and Permits
In Arvada, as elsewhere, price comes down to the water category, the size of the wet area, the materials, the drying time and the rebuild. The plan and price are explained before work starts. A sudden pipe failure is often covered by a homeowners policy, while a slow leak or flood usually is not, so ask your insurer. The Arvada Building Services office at 8101 Ralston Rd can answer permit questions at 720-898-7620.
Arvada on the Map
Arvada Water Damage FAQs
Is emergency water removal available in Arvada?
Yes. Arvada calls are answered overnight, and extraction crews head out from Wheat Ridge as they become available. Arrival times are not promised.
Do you cover every ZIP code in Arvada?
We serve Arvada ZIP codes 80002, 80003, 80004, 80005 and 80007, from Ralston Road in the north to the Wadsworth Boulevard corridor near the Wheat Ridge line. Call with your street address if you are unsure.
Does Arvada pick up sewer backups from my house to the street?
The city's published guidance says the homeowner maintains the service line from the house to the main. Call the Utilities Department at 720-898-7070 if the problem might be in the main.
Can I drain my sump pump into the sewer?
No. Arvada states that discharging sump pumps to the sanitary sewer is prohibited, and discharge should go to a landscaped surface.
Do you serve Denver and Golden too?
Yes, including Denver and Golden. See water damage repair for the rebuild stage.