Sewage and Black Water Cleanup in Colorado Springs, CO
☎ (719) 259-0864Tap to call our 24/7 dispatch line
A sewage backup in a Colorado Springs home is never just dirty water on the floor. Raw sewage is Category 3 black water, and it carries bacteria, viruses, and human waste, so it needs a trained crew in protective gear, not a mop and a bucket. The Mizuna Water Damage team answers live around the clock and reaches homes across Colorado Springs and El Paso County in 30 to 60 minutes to pump it out, disinfect, and make the space safe again.
How we handle sewage in Colorado Springs
Call & dispatch
A dispatcher answers 24/7 and the nearest Colorado Springs crew rolls with truck-mounted pumps, air movers, and moisture meters.
On-site assessment
We find the source and the full reach of the water, including what soaked into subfloor and wall cavities.
Extract & dry
We pull the standing water, then run air movers and dehumidifiers to a verified dry standard, not just the surface.
Verify & bill
We log moisture readings until the structure is dry, then document the loss and bill your carrier directly.
What Category 3 black water really means
Restoration crews sort water into three categories, and sewage is Category 3, the most dangerous, often called black water. It carries raw human waste, bacteria such as E. coli, viruses, and parasites, so the category decides what can be saved and what has to come out.
- Porous materials the sewage soaked into, drywall, carpet, pad, and insulation, cannot be disinfected and are cut out and disposed of.
- Hard, non-porous surfaces such as tile, sealed concrete, and finished masonry are cleaned, disinfected, and kept.
- Bleach and a box fan cannot pull contaminated water out of a wall cavity or a subfloor, so wiping the surface leaves the real problem in place.
Our IICRC certified crews seal off the affected rooms first so nothing spreads, then treat every surface the sewage reached, not only the puddle you can see.
Why Colorado Springs basements back up
Most sewage jobs here are not an overflowing toilet, they are a backup that pushes waste up through the lowest opening in the house. In a finished basement that is almost always the floor drain, which sits at the low point of the home.
- Older neighborhoods such as the Old North End, Old Colorado City, and Patty Jewett have aging sewer lines that clog with grease, roots, and decades of buildup.
- A heavy spring snowmelt or a July monsoon downpour can surcharge the municipal line, so waste backs up even when your own plumbing is clear.
Because the finished basement is where the costly damage lives, a backup that would be a nuisance on a slab becomes a soaked, contaminated room below grade.
Health risks and your insurance claim
Sewage is a genuine health hazard. Contact with black water, or breathing the aerosols it gives off, can cause stomach illness and infections, and the risk runs higher for children, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system, so keep people and pets out until it is decontaminated. The CDC guidance on cleaning up after a flood explains why the protective gear and disinfection are not optional. Sewage is also one of the costlier water losses, and many standard policies exclude sewer backup unless you carry a backup rider, so check yours. We document the loss with dated photos and moisture logs, and if the water sat long enough to start mold, the EPA mold guidance backs why we treat it fast through our mold remediation service.
Our sewage cleanup process
With black water the order matters, and skipping a step leaves contamination behind. One crew seals the area so nothing spreads and maps how far the sewage traveled, then truck mounted and submersible pumps pull the black water and solids out fast, the same gear our water extraction and removal crews use on a flooded basement. Soaked drywall, carpet, pad, and ruined contents are cut out and bagged, every surface the sewage touched is scrubbed and treated with antimicrobial products, and our structural drying team takes the structure to a verified dry reading before we deodorize so the smell is gone, not masked.
Sewage in your basement? Do not wade in or try to clean it yourself. A decontamination crew is on the way, on-site across Colorado Springs in 30 to 60 minutes.
☎ Call (719) 259-0864The smell comes before the flood
A backup almost always warns you first. If you catch a sulfur or sewage odor near a floor drain, hear a gurgle in the toilet when you run the sink, or see several drains emptying slowly at once, stop running water in the house and call before a small backup becomes a flooded basement. Catching it early protects the finished basement you spent years building out.
"Sewage came up through the floor drain in our basement after a hard August storm and the smell was unbearable. They showed up the same night, pumped it all out, tore out the ruined drywall, and disinfected every surface it had touched. A couple of days later you would never have known it happened. Careful, respectful people during a nasty situation, and they handled the insurance photos for me."
Aaron W. · Fountain
Why Colorado Springs calls us first
On-site in 30 to 60 minutes
A dispatcher answers 24/7 and the nearest crew rolls the moment you call, day or night, across El Paso County.
IICRC certified crews
Trained technicians with truck mounted pumps, air movers, and moisture meters, drying to a verified standard, not a mop and a fan.
We bill your insurer
We document the loss with photos and readings and work with your carrier directly, so the paperwork is not on you.
Deep Front Range knowledge
Altitude freeze, Hail Alley roofs, burn scar runoff, and finished basement sump failure, we know how water moves here.
From the Broadmoor to Briargate, we cover El Paso County
Seated downtown at 327 S El Paso St, we respond county-wide, day or night.
Seated downtown at 327 S El Paso St, our crews cover all of Colorado Springs and El Paso County, day or night, and reach most homes in 30 to 60 minutes.
We serve Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs, Broadmoor, Briargate, Powers, Monument, Fountain, and Security-Widefield.
See every neighborhood and ZIP we serve ›Related restoration services
Common questions, answered
What should I do right after a sewage backup?
Keep people and pets away from the water, stop running any water in the house, and shut off power to the affected area only if you can reach the panel safely. Do not try to clean sewage yourself. Call (719) 259-0864 and a decontamination crew heads your way.
Can a backed-up drain in my basement make me sick?
Yes. Black water carries bacteria, viruses, and parasites, and even breathing the aerosols can cause stomach illness, infections, and breathing problems. Children, older adults, and anyone with a weakened immune system are most at risk, so stay out of the flooded area.
Is it safe to stay in the house after a sewage backup?
If the sewage is confined to a basement you can close off, the rest of the home is usually fine to occupy while we work. If it spread across a large area or into living space, it is safest to stay out of that part of the house until it has been decontaminated and dried.
What causes sewer backup in a Colorado Springs basement?
Usually an aging or clogged sewer line, tree roots or grease in the pipe, or a blockage in the public main under the street. Older neighborhoods have the oldest lines, and a finished basement sits below grade with an open floor drain, which gives a backup the easiest way in.
Can heavy snowmelt or rain cause a backup even if my pipes are fine?
Yes, and it is common here. A hard spring snowmelt or a July monsoon downpour can overwhelm the municipal sewer, which then surcharges and pushes water back up through low basement floor drains, with no fault in your own plumbing at all.
What gets removed and thrown out after a sewage spill?
Category 3 water cannot be disinfected out of porous materials, so soaked drywall, carpet, pad, insulation, particleboard, and cardboard have to be cut out and disposed of. Hard, non-porous surfaces such as tile, sealed concrete, and finished masonry are cleaned, disinfected, and saved.
How do you get the sewage smell out for good?
The smell lingers only when contaminated material stays behind, so we remove every porous item the sewage soaked, disinfect the surfaces, dry the structure fully, and then deodorize the space. Once the source is gone and the area is dry, the odor is gone with it, not just masked.
Does insurance cover sewage cleanup?
Standard homeowners policies often exclude sewer backup unless you carry a water backup rider, so check your policy. We document the loss with dated photos and moisture readings so your claim moves, and we can work directly with your adjuster on the scope.
How fast can you respond to a sewage backup?
We answer live 24/7 and reach most of Colorado Springs and El Paso County in 30 to 60 minutes. Extraction and removal of contaminated materials usually happen the same day, and drying and deodorizing typically run three to five days depending on how far the sewage spread.
Colorado Springs' water damage crew is standing by
Water sitting means damage spreading. Call Mizuna Water Damage and a local crew is on the way, 30 to 60 minutes out.
(719) 259-0864Call now, our Pikes Peak crew picks up day or night