Utilities are the part of a site you never see once the job is done, and the part you cannot afford to get wrong. A water line set a foot too shallow, a sewer at the wrong slope or a conduit run that crosses a footing in the wrong place will cost more to fix than it did to install. We install industrial site utilities as a single coordinated package so that every line has a place, a depth and a sequence.
The package covers domestic water, sanitary sewer, storm drain, natural gas where available, and conduit for power, telecom and controls, along with the connections to the public systems at the property line. On a large industrial site it also includes process water, wastewater pretreatment and any special lines that your operation needs.
What makes this a package, and not a list, is the coordination. We lay out all underground lines on one drawing before we dig, resolve conflicts at the drawing table, and then build them in the order that keeps trenches open the shortest time and the pad compacted once.
Water service runs from the main to the building, with meters, backflow prevention and valves as the utility requires. Sanitary sewer is built to grade with manholes and cleanouts and tested before backfill. Storm drain pipe ties into the drainage system described in our stormwater work. Gas, where service is available, runs to the meter set. Conduit and duct banks carry the electrical service and communications into the building.
We also build the private fire main when it is part of the utilities scope, though we price the fire water loop and hydrant systems separately so you can see its cost. Thrust blocks, tracer wire, bedding, compaction, pressure tests, disinfection and CCTV inspection of sewers are standard parts of how we deliver the work.
The 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code, which adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code and took effect March 28, 2023, governs the electrical side. The state plumbing code is being updated, with 2024 editions effective August 1, 2026 and permits allowed under either edition until January 1, 2027. Water and sewer connections follow the standards of the utility that will own them, and it can require its own inspector on site.
Approvals come in sequence: utility availability letters, plan review, permits for connections and street cuts where needed, inspections before backfill, and acceptance after testing. We keep the approval list in front of us from the first week, so a trench is never dug before the inspector can see it.
We build deepest first. Sewer goes in at the lowest elevation, then storm, then water and gas, and conduits last. Where lines cross, we plan clearances on paper and confirm in the field with survey. Utility locates are called in before every excavation, and we pothole existing lines when plans are unclear.
Trench backfill is where later settlement begins. We use the material and compaction the geotechnical engineer specifies, test it in lifts and pay special attention under pavement and slabs. On a site where mass grading has just produced a compacted pad, we avoid cutting more trenches than needed, and we place sleeves for future services before paving so the pavement does not have to be opened later.
Water for construction is part of the plan as well. On a dry site, the hydrant meter we set early supplies dust control, compaction moisture and concrete curing, and the same service point is later converted to the permanent connection. Getting that meter approved in the first weeks is a small task that saves a good deal of hauling.
Underground work sits between grading and foundations, and it often controls when steel can start. We aim to complete building-pad utilities first, so footings and slab can proceed, and finish the long runs to the property line while the structure rises. Utility company work, such as new power service or a water main extension, runs on the owner's or utility's schedule, and we line up those requests early.
Recent public projects show how infrastructure drives industrial readiness. A federal grant of $1.5 million funded infrastructure, a widened Arrowhead Drive, wastewater system completion and street lighting at the research park between I-10 and I-25, and utilities, lighting and taxiways were being extended on the east side of the airport to support hangar development. The lesson for a private owner is the same: a ready lot is a lot with its services in the ground.
Utilities touch almost every other scope. Foundations need sleeves and penetrations. Paving needs inlets and manholes set to grade. Fire protection needs the main and hydrants. A plant with heavy electrical demand will want the electrical duct bank designed with the building, not after it.
At the Innovation and Industrial Park near the airport, where more than 400 acres are listed as shovel ready, the presence of nearby infrastructure often shortens the connection work. At other sites, we begin the utility conversation with the provider before we begin design. The same logic applies to advanced manufacturing owners who need process water or high-capacity power.
If you know where water, sewer and power connect, send the plan. If you do not, send the parcel and we will help find out. For freight and warehouse owners, our distribution center approach shows how utilities fit around dock layouts.
It depends on the utility, the distance and the policy that applies to your parcel. Some costs are paid by the owner, some are shared, and some are recovered later from other users. We ask for written terms before design.
Depth is set by the utility's standards and by conditions on the site. Sewers also follow slope requirements, so depth can increase along the run. We design the profile to avoid conflicts with footings and storm lines.
Sometimes, under a separate site or utility permit. It depends on the jurisdiction and the utility. We use early permits when they are available and safe to rely on.
We call for utility locates, review as-builts, pothole critical crossings and protect lines in place. When a line is not where the drawings say it is, we document it and agree on a response before work continues.
Yes. We survey every pipe, structure and conduit before backfill and provide record drawings at closeout, along with test reports. Our commissioning and closeout process covers the full handoff.