Stars and Bars RestorationSeptic System Backup in Southern Colorado: What to Do Right Now
A lot of Southern Colorado homes run on septic systems. If you're outside of Pueblo, Colorado Springs, or one of the larger towns, chances are decent that your wastewater goes to a tank in your backyard rather than a municipal sewer line. That's perfectly fine — until something goes wrong.
Septic backups are one of the most urgent home emergencies we respond to. They're messy, they smell terrible, and they carry real health risks. If you're dealing with one right now, here's what you need to know.
What Causes a Septic System to Back Up?
Septic systems fail for a few different reasons, and knowing which one you're dealing with matters:
A full tank. The most common cause. If your tank hasn't been pumped in the recommended 3-5 years (depending on household size), solids build up until there's nowhere for new wastewater to go. The result: sewage reverses course and heads back toward your drains.
A blocked inlet baffle or outlet pipe. Tree roots are notorious for infiltrating septic lines, especially in older properties with clay pipe. Even a partial blockage can cause backup during heavy use.
A saturated drain field. The drain field is where treated wastewater disperses into the soil. If the soil is saturated — from heavy rain, snowmelt, or a high water table — the field can't absorb more liquid, and water backs up into the tank and eventually into your home.
Heavy rainfall or flooding. This is a timely concern. During Colorado's monsoon season — roughly July through September — we see an uptick in septic backups exactly because the ground gets saturated. If you've had a lot of rain recently and your toilets are gurgling or draining slowly, pay attention.
A damaged or collapsed line. Older homes, shifting soil, and settling foundations can all crack or collapse septic lines. When that happens, flow stops and backup starts.
Warning Signs You Shouldn't Ignore
Septic problems rarely happen all at once. They usually announce themselves first:
- Slow drains in multiple fixtures simultaneously (not just one clogged drain — all of them)
- Gurgling sounds when you flush or run the sink
- Sewage smell inside the house, especially near floor drains
- Wet, soggy patches in the yard above the drain field — especially if it hasn't rained recently
- Sewage odor outside near the septic tank or drain field area
- Water backing up into the lowest drain in the house (often a basement floor drain or ground-floor toilet)
If you're seeing any of these signs, stop running water in your home. Every gallon you send down the drain makes the situation worse.
The Health Risks Are Real
We can't say this clearly enough: sewage is a biohazard. Raw sewage contains bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella, viruses including hepatitis A and norovirus, and parasites like Cryptosporidium. Contact with sewage — even indirect contact through contaminated surfaces — poses serious health risks, particularly for children, elderly people, and anyone with a compromised immune system.
This is not a DIY cleanup situation. Grabbing rubber gloves and a mop isn't enough. Proper sewage cleanup requires:
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) including respirators, not just gloves
- EPA-registered antimicrobial disinfectants
- Professional-grade extraction equipment to remove all moisture
- Testing to confirm contamination levels before the space is declared safe
We've seen homeowners make themselves and their families sick by trying to clean up a septic backup on their own. Please don't do that.
What to Do (and Not Do) Right Now
Do:
- Stop using water immediately — no toilets, no sinks, no laundry
- Keep kids and pets out of the affected area
- Open windows if the smell is strong (ventilation helps)
- Call a plumber or septic service to assess the tank and lines
- Call Stars and Bars at (719) 676-2456 to handle the biohazard cleanup
Don't:
- Try to clean it up yourself without professional equipment
- Run the dishwasher or washing machine — you'll add more water to an already overwhelmed system
- Ignore gurgling drains hoping they'll resolve on their own
- Wait to call — sewage contamination spreads, and delays mean more damage and more cost
What Professional Cleanup Looks Like
When our crew arrives, here's what we do:
1. Safety assessment first. We identify the extent of contamination and establish a containment perimeter so the rest of your home isn't affected.
2. Extraction. All standing sewage and contaminated water is extracted using professional equipment. This isn't a wet/dry shop vac situation — we're talking truck-mounted extraction units.
3. Removal of contaminated materials. Sewage-soaked flooring, drywall, and insulation often can't be saved. We remove what needs to go and document it for your insurance claim.
4. Disinfection and decontamination. We apply EPA-registered antimicrobial treatments to all affected surfaces — not just what's visibly dirty, but everything that could have had contact with contaminated water or vapor.
5. Drying. Moisture left behind breeds mold. We use industrial air movers and dehumidifiers to dry the space completely, then monitor moisture levels until we hit safe thresholds.
6. Air scrubbing. Sewage events contaminate the air. HEPA air scrubbers run throughout the process to remove airborne pathogens and odor compounds.
7. Final testing and clearance. Before we wrap up, we verify that contamination levels are within safe limits.
The whole process takes anywhere from a few days to a week depending on how extensive the contamination is.
Does Insurance Cover Septic Backup Cleanup?
It depends on your policy. Standard homeowners insurance policies often exclude sewage backup, but many insurers offer it as an optional endorsement — sometimes called "water backup and sump overflow" coverage. If you have it, it typically covers cleanup costs and damaged personal property.
Even if your standard policy doesn't include it, some situations may be covered. For example, if a covered peril (like flooding from a storm) caused the septic system to fail, there may be a coverage argument. We've helped homeowners navigate these conversations with their adjusters.
Our advice: call your insurance company, report the damage, and document everything with photos before cleanup begins. We can assist with documentation as part of our process.
We Know Southern Colorado Septic Systems
A lot of restoration companies have never dealt with a rural septic system. We have. Properties in Southern Colorado — especially outside of the major towns — have a huge variety of setups: old concrete tanks, newer poly tanks, mound systems for high water table properties, older cesspools that predate modern codes.
We're not plumbers (you'll need one to address the root cause), but we know how to work around septic systems and coordinate with septic service providers to make sure cleanup happens in the right order.
Whether you're in Colorado City, Pueblo West, Florence, Cuchara, Fowler, Rocky Ford, or anywhere else in the region, we can respond. We're IICRC certified in biohazard remediation, and as a veteran-owned business, we operate with a straightforward no-nonsense approach: we tell you what we're seeing, what needs to happen, and what it's going to cost.
The Bottom Line
Septic backups aren't a wait-and-see problem. The longer sewage sits in your home, the more it spreads, the more it damages building materials, and the more expensive and complicated the cleanup becomes. Mold can begin growing within 24-48 hours in contaminated, damp areas.
If you're dealing with a septic backup right now — or even just strong warning signs — call Stars and Bars Restoration at (719) 676-2456. We're available 24/7 for emergency response throughout Southern Colorado.
You can also read more about our sewage cleanup and biohazard services and our general basement sewage backup guide for additional context.
Stars and Bars Restoration | IICRC Certified | Veteran-Owned | Colorado City, CO | (719) 676-2456 | services@sb-resto.com