Water & Sanitary Sewer Lines
Water service, sanitary sewer mains and laterals, and storm lines — trenched to grade, bedded and backfilled right. Licensed work under our Underground Piping/Cable/Trenching & Boring classification.
Licensed Underground — Trenching, Boring & Drainage, Statewide Arkansas
Water goes where the trench says.
Our AR commercial license #3287-C carries the Underground Piping, Cable, Trenching & Boring classification — water, sewer, storm and cable line work is licensed work for us, not a sideline. We trench it, we bore under what you don't want torn up, we set culverts, and we fix ground that's washing out. Free site walk, firm written number before we roll a truck. And when you call, a Cox answers.
License ClassUnderground & Boring classification
Before Every Dig811 locates — call-before-you-dig
MethodBore under or trench through
AR Contractor License#3287-C Commercial · Active
The underground trade
Most dirt outfits can't legally
run your water line. We can.
Our AR commercial license #3287-C carries the Underground Piping, Cable, Trenching & Boring classification. That's not paperwork trivia — it means trenching and boring for water, sewer, storm and cable lines is licensed work for us, done under our own ticket, not farmed out or done off the books.
When open-cut won't do — under an existing driveway, a county road, or anything you don't want torn up — we bore under it instead of cutting through. The pipe goes in below the surface and the surface stays whole. No patched trench running across your driveway, no torn-up road shoulder.
We also handle the ground itself: eroding creek and river banks, washed-out ditches, and slopes that need stabilizing. The photo above is a real Cox culvert set at a Cleburne County creek — excavator working on timber mats at the water's edge, dozer winch assist — the kind of access most outfits turn down. Conservation cost-share programs through NRCS or your county conservation district sometimes fund streambank work; we can't promise eligibility, but it's worth asking about when we walk the site.
A trench is only as good as its bedding and backfill. Pipe laid on rock points or backfilled loose fails years later, not on the day you dig it. We bed it right, compact in lifts, and grade-check the fall — water only runs downhill if the trench does. Every job starts with 811 utility locates before we break ground.
Trenching is priced by the foot — surface, depth and rock move it most. The machines that do this work run from $140/hr for the mini to $425/hr for the rock hammer — see our published equipment rates. We'll give you a firm written number after a free site walk, before a truck ever rolls.
★ Statewide from Heber Springs
Greers FerryQuitmanDrascoClintonFairfield BaySearcyMountain ViewBatesvilleConway
1972Family-owned dirt-work in Arkansas since
1-day typicalMost residential culvert sets, start to finish
10,000 lbTrench-rock hammer when the ground fights back
811Utility locates called in before every dig
Trenching & drainage scope
Licensed for the ground
under your feet.
Boring Under Driveways & Roads
When you don't want a driveway or county road torn up, we bore under it instead — pipe goes under, surface stays whole.
Culverts
Culvert replacement and installation for driveways, county roads, and creek crossings — most residential sets are a one-day job.
Storm & Site Drainage
Reshaping grade and setting storm drainage structures so water moves away from where you don't want it.
Erosion Control & Riverbank Stabilization
Washed-out banks, eroding creek and river banks, ditch and slope stabilization — the culvert set in the photo above is one of ours.
Trench Rock Breaking
A 10,000-lb hammer on an 80,000-lb excavator breaks trench rock in place — no blasting. See rock excavation.
Get us to your ground
Talk to a Cox
about your trench.
Call the shop — a Cox answers501.250.4490
Email[email protected]
Shop50 Fort Cox Rd, Heber Springs, AR 72543
ServingAll of Arkansas — Ozarks to the Delta
Best first stepText photos of the site + roughly where the line or bank is
Book a site walk
Step 1 of 3 — what are we digging?
Where & when
Step 2 of 3 — so the right machine shows up.
Timeline
Who do we call back?
Step 3 of 3 — we'll call you back to set up the walk.
Trenching & drainage questions, straight answers
What Arkansas landowners
ask us about the underground.
How is trenching priced?
By the foot. What moves the number most is surface type (dirt, gravel, asphalt or concrete), depth, whether we hit rock, how much restoration the site needs, and how tight access is. The machines that do this work run from $140/hr for the mini to $425/hr for the rock hammer — see our published equipment rates. We'll give you a firm written number after a free site walk, before we ever roll a truck.
Are you licensed for utility work?
Yes. Our AR commercial license #3287-C carries the Underground Piping, Cable, Trenching & Boring classification. Trenching and boring for water, sewer, storm and cable lines is licensed work for us, not a sideline — a lot of dirt outfits legally can't run your water line. We can.
Can you get a line under my driveway without tearing it up?
Yes — that's boring. Instead of cutting through your driveway, county road, or anything else you don't want torn up, we bore under it and the pipe goes in below the surface. The surface stays whole and you're not staring at a patched trench across your driveway.
Can you fix a creek bank that's washing out?
Yes — erosion control and riverbank stabilization is part of what we do, along with ditch and slope stabilization. The hero photo above is a real Cox culvert set on a Cleburne County creek bank. Conservation cost-share programs through NRCS or your county conservation district sometimes fund streambank work, though we can't promise eligibility — worth asking about when we walk the site.
Do you install sanitary sewer lines?
Yes — sanitary sewer mains and laterals are core work under our Underground Piping/Cable/Trenching & Boring classification, on residential, commercial and municipal jobs. Sewer is the least forgiving line in the ground: it runs on gravity, so it holds fall the whole way or it doesn't work. We trench to grade, bed the pipe properly, and backfill in compacted lifts — the same discipline that keeps a line working in twenty years, not just at inspection.
What if the trench hits rock?
We break it in place. A 10,000-lb hydraulic hammer on an 80,000-lb excavator handles trench rock without blasting or blast permits — see our rock excavation page for the details. Rock trenching takes longer than open dirt, which is exactly why we run the hammer.
How long does a typical job take?
Most residential culvert sets are a one-day job. A typical water-line trench in open dirt is a morning's work for the mini. Rock trenching takes longer. Every dig starts with 811 utility locates before we break ground, so there's a call-before-you-dig step built into the schedule regardless.