Ansom OutdoorCivil · Land · Trails
Septic · Wastewater · Potable

On-site wastewater built for mountain ground.

From cabin vaults to advanced treatment above 9,000 ft — full OWTS design with soils, layout, plans and profiles, county submittal, and honest quoting up front.

Septic quote — single-family

Get a structured estimate in 60 seconds.

Clear Creek County pre-loaded
Recommended system
ATU + secondary dispersal
Required in Level 2/3 zones (most of Clear Creek).
Design flow · tank
225 gpd
1000 gal tank minimum
Estimated design fee
$6,840 – $15,390
Firm comparison: $34,200 @ $300/hr
Code pack applied — Clear Creek County, CO · Idaho Springs area (near 600 Van Eden Rd)
Clear Creek County Environmental Health + CDPHE Reg. 43 (5 CCR 1002-43)
  • Single-family dwelling design flow: 75 gpd per bedroom (min. 2 bedrooms = 150 gpd) per Reg. 43 Table 6-1.
  • Minimum septic tank: 1,000 gal for ≤3 bedrooms; +250 gal per additional bedroom.
  • Setbacks (typical): 100 ft to wells, 50 ft to surface water, 25 ft to property line, 20 ft to dwelling, 10 ft to water line.
  • Clear Creek County is largely Level 2/3 treatment (source-water protection, steep slopes, shallow bedrock). Expect ATU + secondary treatment above 8,500 ft or near Clear Creek / tributaries.
  • Percolation / profile pit required; frost depth 42" (design invert ≥ 48").
  • Van Eden Rd corridor: decomposed granite over shallow bedrock, 8,000–9,000 ft elevation, steep aspect — plan for shallow trenches, sand-lined bed, or engineered mound.

Estimate is design-only. Excludes county permit fees, soils lab, and construction.

Septic tank installation on a Colorado mountain property
What we design

Every OWTS a Colorado county will approve.

We handle the full civil scope for on-site wastewater and potable water in remote and mountain terrain — from a 2-bedroom cabin on shallow bedrock to a multi-unit lodge with an aerobic treatment plant and drip dispersal.

  • Conventional gravity OWTS — Septic tank + gravity distribution to a trench leach field. Best on gentle slopes with deep, well-drained soils.
  • Chamber / gravelless field — Plastic infiltrator chambers reduce trench footprint 30-50%. Great for tight lots and rocky ground.
  • Pressure-dosed bed — Pump vault + laterals for even distribution on marginal or shallow sites.
  • Elevated sand mound — Engineered mound over shallow bedrock or high groundwater. Common above 8,000 ft.
  • Advanced treatment (ATS) — Aerobic treatment unit + drip or subsurface dispersal. Required near lakes, streams, wells, or Level 2/3 treatment zones.
  • Vault / holding tank — Sealed vault with scheduled pumping for cabins, ADUs, or sites where dispersal is not permittable.
Deliverables

Plans, profiles, and the paperwork that goes with them.

Site plan (24×36)

Property, structures, well, setbacks, tank + field layout, staked coordinates. Branded title block.

Plans & profiles

Trench profiles with invert elevations, pipe sizes, slopes, and construction details for the installer.

Design report & permit

Soils logs, sizing calcs, code references, county application forms, and response to reviewer comments.

3D & pulled drawings

Existing civil / architectural drawings pulled from surveys, plus AI-assisted (Higgsfield + in-house) concept renderings.

As-built

Post-construction survey and record drawing for the county file and your closing binder.

Maintenance sheet

Owner-friendly one-pager: pump schedule, inspection ports, do's and don'ts.

Quick quote

Ballpark your septic design in 30 seconds.

Rates run $60/hr on the low end (AI-accelerated concept work) to $300/hr on the high end (senior civil PE stamped work). We multiply by a 1.5× safety factor so the number you see is a range you can plan around, not a lowball.

Add-ons
Estimated design fee
$4,320 – $21,600
≈ 72 engineering hours · $60–$300/hr · 1.50× safety
Conventional gravity OWTS
Septic tank + gravity distribution to a trench leach field. Best on gentle slopes with deep, well-drained soils.
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Design fees only. Excludes county permit fees, soils testing lab work, and construction. Firm bid provided after a 30-minute site call.

Bring us the parcel and a rough site — we'll bring back a design you can build.

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