Storm drain cleaning in Texas
Texas rain does not arrive gently. A storm system that copes with ordinary rainfall can be completely overwhelmed by a Texas thunderstorm, and a silted line has no margin at all.
What goes wrong in Texas
Rainfall here is not spread evenly through the year — it arrives in intense bursts, and the Gulf Coast records some of the highest short-duration rainfall totals in the United States. That is the design problem. A storm system running at its full capacity may still cope; the same system with silt packed into the bottom of its outlet pipe has nothing left to give, and the first anyone knows about it is water across the car park.
Texas clay makes the silting worse than it would be elsewhere. The same expansive clay that moves sewer lines washes into storm inlets as fine sediment, and it packs down far harder in the bottom of a pipe than sand or leaf litter does. No cable will move compacted clay silt. High-volume jetting is effectively the only practical way to clear it.
Central Texas adds flash flooding to the picture — some of the most flash-flood-prone terrain in the country sits in the Hill Country corridor — and urban sites across the state flood simply because surface water cannot enter the system fast enough. Clearing inlets and outlets ahead of storm season is cheap, straightforward maintenance measured against water inside a building.
How storm drain cleaning works in detail — the method, the equipment and what we look for, written for any state.
What makes this a Texas problem
Drain lines fail for local reasons. These are the conditions that drive storm drain cleaning work across Texas.
Rain arrives all at once here
Texas rainfall is not evenly spread — it comes in intense bursts, and the Gulf Coast sees some of the highest short-duration rainfall totals in the country. A storm system that copes with ordinary rain can be comprehensively overwhelmed by a Texas thunderstorm, and a partially silted line has no margin at all.
Clay soil silts lines faster
The same expansive clay that moves sewer lines also washes into storm inlets as fine sediment. It packs down hard in the bottom of a pipe and is considerably more difficult to shift than sand or leaf litter. High-volume jetting is effectively the only way to move it.
Flash flooding is a Texas specialty
Central Texas has some of the most flash-flood-prone terrain in the United States, and urban sites across the state flood when surface water cannot get into the system fast enough. Clearing inlets and outlets before storm season is straightforward, cheap maintenance set against the cost of water inside a building.
Signs you need this service
Two or more of these together usually means the line is restricted rather than one fixture being blocked.
- Ponding in a car park or yard that drains slowly after rain
- Catch basin grates holding standing water
- Visible silt, gravel or leaf litter filling a basin sump
- Water backing out of an area drain during heavy rain
- Erosion or scouring around a drain inlet
- Storm lines that have never been inspected or cleaned
How we do it
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Survey the site drainage
Catch basins, area drains, trench drains, outlets and discharge point — including the inlets nobody has looked in for years.
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Clear sediment from the basin sumps
Removing settled grit at the source stops it migrating into the outlet pipe and silting the run.
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Jet the outlet and connecting lines
High-volume jetting moves compacted silt and debris that no cable will shift.
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Camera where the line is suspect
Storm lines crack, separate and get crushed under vehicle loading. Inspection distinguishes a silted pipe from a failed one.
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Schedule before the wet season
The right time for this work is ahead of the weather, not during the storm that proves the system was blocked.
Who this is for
Commercial property
Car parks, retail sites and business parks where surface water reaches doors and loading docks.
Industrial and logistics
Large hardstanding areas, trench drains and heavy vehicle loading over shallow storm lines.
HOAs and managed sites
Shared roads, common areas and drainage that is nobody's job until it floods.
Storm Drain Cleaning across Texas
We cover 1,228 Texas cities and towns across 244 counties, from the four big metros to towns of a few hundred people.
See the full list of Texas cities we cover, or call (833) 349-0333 and tell us where you are.
Storm Drain Cleaning questions
When is the right time to clean storm drains in Texas?
Ahead of the wet season rather than during it, and well before hurricane season if you are anywhere near the Gulf Coast. The entire point is to have the designed capacity available before the storm arrives, and scheduling is far easier when it is not raining.
Why will a cable not clear our storm line?
Because what is in it is usually compacted clay silt, not a discrete obstruction. Texas clay washes into inlets as fine sediment and packs hard along the bottom of the pipe. A cable bores through it; only high water volume actually moves it out of the system.
Is storm drain cleaning different from sewer cleaning?
Yes. Storm systems carry surface water and block with silt, sand, leaves and litter rather than grease and waste. They often need higher water volume to move compacted sediment, and the access points are catch basins rather than cleanouts.
When should this be done?
Ahead of the wet season. The whole point is to have capacity available before the storm, and that is also when scheduling is easiest.
Who is responsible for the storm drains on our site?
Private drainage on private property is normally the owner's responsibility up to the municipal connection. Inlets on the public road are usually the city's. Site plans — or a camera inspection — settle it.
Our car park floods every heavy rain. Is cleaning enough?
Sometimes. If the system is silted, clearing it restores the capacity it was designed for. If the site was under-drained from the start or a line has collapsed, cleaning will not be enough, and an inspection will tell you which situation you are in.
Other services
Sewer Line Cleaning in Texas
Clears the main line that carries waste from your building to the municipal sewer or septic tank.
Service detailsDrain Line Cleaning in Texas
Clears the branch lines running from individual sinks, tubs, showers and floor drains into the main.
Service detailsMain Sewer Line Clog Removal in Texas
Emergency clearing when the main line is fully blocked and waste is backing up into the building.
Service detailsCommercial Drain Cleaning in Texas
Scheduled and emergency drain service for buildings where a backup means closing the doors.
Service detailsGrease Line Cleaning in Texas
Removes hardened fat, oil and grease from kitchen waste lines and interceptor runs.
Service detailsRestaurant Drain Cleaning in Texas
Drain service built around a working kitchen — floor sinks, dish pit, prep lines and interceptor.
Service detailsNeed storm drain cleaning in Texas?
Describe what the drain is doing and we will tell you whether this is an emergency, a cleaning job, or something that needs a camera down the line first.
(833) 349-033324/7 emergency service