Hydrovac & Hydro Excavation in Detroit
Detroit combines some of the state's oldest and densest underground infrastructure with heavy lake-plain clays and a very large lead service line replacement program.
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In Detroit, the challenge is usually congestion. Older neighborhoods and commercial corridors can have water, sewer, gas, electric, steam, and communications lines in close quarters, some of them decades old and imperfectly documented. That makes visual verification by potholing especially valuable before boring, trenching, or setting poles.
Lead service lines
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) has estimated the city had more than 80,000 lead service lines. DWSD reports replacing 16,733 since 2018 as of August 31, 2026, including 1,015 in 2026. Michigan's Lead and Copper Rule requires all lead service lines to be replaced, generally by 2041. Replacement work typically involves excavating near the curb stop and at the house, and vacuum excavation can keep those openings small in tight urban lots.
Soils
Much of Detroit sits on the flat lake plain left by glacial lakes, where soils are commonly heavy clay. Clay holds up as a vertical wall better than sand, but it cuts more slowly and generates more slurry per hole. That affects both production rate and disposal cost. Fill and old foundations are common in redeveloped areas.
Utilities
DTE Energy provides electric service in Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan, and DWSD operates the city's water and sewer system. For gas territory, see the MPSC natural gas service area map. File your MISS DIG notice so member owners mark their facilities, and plan to verify anything private on your own.
Typical Metro Detroit requests
- Potholing ahead of fiber and utility HDD crossings
- Exposing lines for road, streetscape, and redevelopment projects
- Lead service line and curb box work
- Sewer manhole, catch basin, and industrial pit cleanouts
- Winter excavation with heated water
Sources: DWSD Lead Service Line Replacement Program; EGLE: Michigan Lead and Copper Rule.
Other Michigan city guides: Grand Rapids · Lansing · Ann Arbor · Kalamazoo · Flint · Saginaw · Traverse City · Muskegon · Holland · Battle Creek · Troy · Novi
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