Denver Metro - Drainage issue - who do I call?

[Cary P.]

I have some garden level apartments that have a cement slab at the bottom of the exterior stairs with a drain hole in them. The drains are not tied into a pipe system from what we can tell.  It appears to be one of those drains that has a gravel bed instead.  The building is 50+ years old and some of these drains are not working.  Who do I call for repairing this type of problem?  A landscaper? A sewer guy? Is there a type of contractor that specializes in these types of drains?  It's not a french drain that channels out to somewhere else, it's just supposed to drain into the ground through this clogged up gravel bed.  Everyone I have talked to says they don't do this kind of work, but cannot recommend someone who does.

Thanks!
Cary

[Alexander Lommel]

Wish I was there to help. That's exactly what our specialty is here in Alaska. If your pipes are clear and the system is just no longer taking any water it might be time to have the rock excavated out and a new injection well put in place. Any system that reintroduces water into the ground is considered a class 5 injection well and falls under the purview of the DEC. you might be opening a whole can of worms if you go that route. 

Soil testing to make sure contaminates are not being introduced into the ground and thus the ground water has to be done if DEC gets involved. Also  perc testing to make sure the ground is capable of handling and filtering the water being introduced. 

Your best bet would be to contact a plumbing company and see if it's as simple as a clogged drain pipe first. They can also scope it to see if there is any major blockages I.e. Broken pipes or roots.

Only as a last resort do you want to start digging up a class 5 injection well that was installed 50 years ago!

You might want to check with your local DEC office to see if they have any as-builds for it on file. (Doubt it though)

Good luck!