River City Environmental, Inc. has provided environmental services, starting in the Portland metropolitan area and now throughout the Northwest, for over 20 years. Since 1995, we've grown to one of the largest and most experienced full-service environmental, sewer, septic and stormwater management companies in the Northwest. Based in Portland, we’re Working Together for a Clean Environment. 3 employees. No subs. Cost determined by the job. No travel charges. Additional DBAs - Affordable Septic Service, Jerrys Septic Tank Pumping. See website for additional services. Additional e-mail - inquiry@rivercityusa.com.
It took forever! There seems to be upper management problems and changes. The people doing the work were communicative and skilled and thus easy to work with. The problem was the job supervisors changed several times. We still are negotiating the final cost.
Description of Work: Hook up to PDX sewer system. Big project. Required a lift pump.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
1.0
$14,000
David B.
01/2017
1.0
plumbing, drain cleaning
 + 0 more
This company is nothing but phone operators with a roIodex (data base) of subcontractors. I called and attempted to setup an appoint. It was a same day call and they offered a cheaper estimated price if we waited for a non emergency availability. We scheduled the next day after 4 p.m. I got a call at work on the next day at noon from a plumber saying he was available immediately. I was at work, so that was impossible. Next I get a call from the appointment schedulers (the phone people) saying that if I waited to 4 p.m., they would have to charge me a "after hours" price-- the same thing I was trying to avoid the day before. When I questioned them about the fact that I had arranged this appointment the day before for the sake of avoiding the time and a half pricing, our phone call dropped and they cancelled my appointment. Meanwhile we continued to bail water and start looking for another plumber.
Description of Work: I needed main drain from house cleared.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
1.0
Helen B.
01/2017
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
I thought that was a pretty average price. They came quickly, considering it was an urgent situation with the alarm going off and the septic tank not pumping properly. So they came very quickly, and when they came. they checked everything out so they were very professional and they- they didn't try and sell me stuff that I didn't need. They were good.
Description of Work: (Last date of service) During the summer. I can't remember when it is, like May, June, time. Hang on it was August. It was probably about that date. It was when we returned from vacation. We had the float alarm had gone bad so the alarm had gone off so they came out and checked that and replaced a new one and they did a clean out of the septic tank as well. (Cost) It was about 300 and some old dollars for the actual cleaning of the tank and probably another 300 or more for the now alarm. Not the alarm, the new float. About 6- probably bit more than that so say 700.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$700
Lynda J G.
12/2015
5.0
plumbing, septic tank
 + 0 more
The driver/operator was courteous, thoughtful and patient. After he left, We were able to vac out the rest, but we couldn't have gotten water out of that volume if it hadn't been their fast response with their tanker truck. It made a huge difference in the level of damage we had in our basement. HIs calm demeanor helped me to keep from freaking out any more than I already had. I can't provide the price because I don't know yet. Yes, it's expensive, but so is furnace, washer, dryer repair and drywall replacement, mold remediation and all the other things my home owner insurance doesn't cover. so I am truly thankful they minimized the nightmare.
Description of Work: The Oak Lodge Water District/Sanitary Sewer District flooded the park next to our house to relieve pressure on the main on McLoughlin during a very heavy downpour. There was flooding all over Portland-Milwaukie . The park flooded and then rolled into our and flooded our basement. Two feet. I saw this listing and called. Within a few hours, on a very busy day, they had a pump truck there. They filled the truck!
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Vickie P.
09/2015
2.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
River City told my Mother that her septic tank needed to be replaced as it had sunk slightly. The cost of this would be around $5,000.00. We had AAA Septic come out and they said the tank did not have to be replaced, the could change the inlet and out pipes and it would cost approximately $500.00. I checked with Clark County and they said this was certainly an acceptable fix. When I talked to River City about this they said that was not a fix and it needed to be replaced. I then told them what Clark County had said and they choked a bit. They had also overcharged my Mother and upon trying to get the money refunded to her I found that one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. This is not a company I would recommend to anyone.
Description of Work: Nothing - we chose AAA Septic Service to do the work.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
2.0
value
2.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
2.0
Dennis G.
03/2015
5.0
plumbing, septic tank
 + 0 more
All went well. The fellow that pumped the tank made sure that I saw the work they had done before putting the lid back on the tank, and was very good about explaining what they had done. They had a coupon in the local coupon clipper magazine, and they had no problem with giving me the 10% discount. I was very pleased with their service.
Description of Work: Pumped septic tank
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$250
LIZ M.
03/2015
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Everything has been fine since.
Description of Work: Pumped septic tank
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$352
Herb M.
02/2015
5.0
plumbing, septic tank, wells
 + 1 more
this was a short notice situation that the contractor responded to in an excellent manor
Description of Work: installed a burnt out septic pump
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$259
MARTIN D.
08/2014
2.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
We live below the sewer main so our house uses sewer pumps to push all household water up hill to the main. The pump system alarm sounded, and the pump manufacturer recommended that I call RCE to work on them. Eric from RCE came out to diagnose the problem, and correctly told me that one of the pump motors was shot and the capacitor had blown. We asked him for a recommendation on what to do next in terms of replacement. He came out again and had a representative from the pump manufacturer on the phone. They walked through the electrical on the system, and said that our 240V home electrical was too high and that I needed to call the power company to have them push less electricity to the house. Seeing as 240V is standard in all houses I knew this was not right, and confirmed that with both the power company and two different electricians. Nevertheless, since there are not many people who work on these things, I asked him to provide me with an estimate for replacing the pumps. He never called back. I also followed up directly with the office staff for an estimate and they never called back. The only reason they didn't get straight Fs was because Eric did come out twice and showed some dedication those two times in trying to figure out the problem. But the lack of follow through was very unprofessional. I will not use them again.
Description of Work: Assess broken sewer pumps.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
3.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
2.0
$100
connie H.
06/2014
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Was running a bit late, so he called to let us know. No problems and gave us some good advice. Accepted the 25.00 discount coupon. We had a large tank 1250 gallons.
Description of Work: Drained Septic tank
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$425
Melanie L.
01/2014
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
We had a blockage that caused a messy back up in the basement bathroom. They came out the next day afternoon and pumped out the tank. He had to locate the tank since we were new to the house and did not know the location. He had to jet out the line and was able to see that some golf balls (we have twin girls) had made it into the system from a mysterious RV dump line that came up near the driveway. We did not know what this pipe was connected to when we discovered it on accident moving some dirt. Before we could cap it our girls put 6 golf balls down the pipe. It all happened very quickly. Funny now that time has passed but at the time . . . . anyways they also gave us good advice on tank replacement since it is a steel tank from 1983 and is way over the 20 year life span. We are planning a replacement this summer and will definitely call them for a quote. The technician's name was Felipe and he made a crazy and stressful situation actually a lot of fun. I think we were laughing half the time. Here is a couple of photos, my husband is in the yellow rain coat, we were able to make fast work of digging out the cover with our tractor - otherwise that part would have been a lot of work too!
Description of Work: Locate tank, pump out tank, jet out line(s).
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$574
Christine B.
10/2013
5.0
plumbing, septic tank
 + 0 more
Discovered that our toilets and showers were backing up at 8:30 pm. Called and talked with someone on call, which was very nice to have! She talked me through what we should do so that we could take showers in the am. Although they have techs available for emergency calls, we decided to wait until the next day. She indicated that someone could come out the next afternoon. They did and discovered that that the issue was in the main line and attempted to unclog it at several places. They worked hard until they got it done, they were professional and cleaned up after themselves.
Description of Work: Fixed a clog in main drain pipe and checked septic tank.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$90
Casey A.
08/2013
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Phillippe, showed up late. However, called to let us know he would be late. I was on my way home, and he ended up getting there before I arrived. My wife let him in, and he got to work. He had nearly completed the inspection by the time I arrived. He did let us know it the tank was getting full, and that I wouldn't need to empty it immediately if I didn't want to. He estimated I had another 1-3 years before it would need to be emptied. The large date range is because everyone uses their systems differently. He cleaned and put everything away before leaving. That includes putting the boards back into my deck (yes I have a deck directly above the septic tank access.) I would certainly go with this company in the future!
Description of Work: Inspected Septic Tank system, and evaluated if it needed to be emptied
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$100
Tom T.
01/2013
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
On time. Knowledgeble. Courteous.
Description of Work: Pumped septic and grease trap.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$280
Louise F.
09/2012
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Great Responsiveness, Professionalism and Knowledge Justin arrived on time, inspected BOTH tanks and explained everything. Including, GREAT NEWS, we did not need our tank pumped! A less ethical company could have told me it needed pumping - I would have paid for it and been none the wiser. (As a matter of fact, I know that I have done this in the past).
Description of Work: Inspection and report on our tank (pump if necessary).
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$108.4
Cal H.
07/2012
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Set up as their last appointment of the day. They could not give me an exact time but said they would call 45 minutes prior to showing up. They called as agreed and showed up on time. The truck said "Affordable Septic" so I asked about that and the serviceman said Affordable is the same as River City. He dug up the cover of the septic tank and checked the performance and sludge levels. I asked him if he was going to pump it out and he said he would if I wanted but it really didn't need to be pumped. He said I could easily go 3-4 more years before it needed to be pumped based on the levels. I asked him if he was sure and he said he was, Not pumping the tank saved me $330.00 so I was happy with that. He could have easily pumped and charged me even though it didn't need it. Overall, very good service and I would use them again with no problem.
Description of Work: I called them to do the Clark County Septic tank inspection and pump the septic tank while they were here.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$193.8
Sue Ann S.
04/2012
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
It was difficult to get into my backyard without some landscaping damage but this was a great job from start to finish.
Description of Work: Decomissioned old septic. I had called other folks on this hole that appeared in my back yard. No one responded. 1 call to River City and 2 days later it was all fixed. 10' ft deep fissure from the septic tank and the tank filled in and passed inspection. I am very pleased and relieved. These folks are amazingly efficient and responsive.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,000
Yvonne M.
03/2012
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Excellent service and advice on how to keep septic system functioning properly.
Description of Work: This company pumped our septic tank, and cleaned our drain lines. We have used their services 3 times with good service and results both times.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
Mark V.
01/2012
5.0
drain cleaning
 + -1 more
All went well. I thought it was a bit expensive for what ended up being: digging a 3 feet by 3 feet hole through grass and soft maple tree roots, breaking away old piping and installing two couplings and 3 feet of new pipe. Yes, the system was jetted and yes it was scoped (for only 2 feet), but we're talking rain water here (not sewage, etc.), clear water from either the truck or the house. The work took 4 hours; $630 is abit steep to me for four hours of what was in actuality completed. None the less, when the rains came back the next day, I was so relieved. :-) He also called the next day, following up on his work from the day before. Nice touch.
Description of Work: Underground rain gutter drain from corner of house to curb was blocked (maple tree root had grown into the 3" pipe clearance). Dug down through grass parking strip to blockage, located just 2 feet from curb (thank goodness blockage wasn't under the sidewalk!). New 21st century couplings and pipe replaces 3 feet of 1903 cast iron pipe. Jetting and hose water now flows out like it ought to.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
3.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$630
Sindy M.
01/2012
5.0
plumbing
 + -1 more
While my overall experience was good, this is a mixed review. This is b/c the work was done well, the technician was great, and the price was fair. However, the scheduling and communication with the office was not up to par. I'll try to explain. I called the office last Friday to set up an appointment and was told they would need to call me back Monday to set up a time. I told them I'm not always home, and would need to be given at least an appointment window (since they told me I needed to be present for the work). By Wednesday morning, no one had called me back. I figured they were never going to call, since mine was such a small job, and would only be $88 for them. I get this, but was still perturbed that they didn't call. I was planning to have to hire another company, but to my surprise, on Wednesday afternoon, they just showed up. I had just arrived home a few minutes earlier when I saw their truck pull up. Since I did want the work done, I said go ahead. The work was done well and the tech was polite, professional, and knowledgeable--no complaints there. Also, the price was $88, just as they'd quoted, which I was happy with. To be clear, the work gets an "A" rating. I just wish the communication had been better and that they'd actually called me and made an appointment. It was very lucky that I happened to be home when they showed up. Overall, I would probably hire again. Maybe this was some one-time miscommunication? A fluke? But, the next time I need the catch basin pumped out, if they just show up again w/o calling to schedule an appointment, I'll have to hire someone else.
Description of Work: Pump out and clean storm drain / catch basin in my front driveway (residential).
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$88
Robert B.
11/2011
3.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Guy showed up promptly but in a truck with a name other than the one I had contacted. Asked him about that and answer I received was obscure. During test asked several questions, some with answers I was sure were wrong based on past experience and some ended up in a new sales pitch for something there were trying to peddle. During test he inserted a long handle hoe and pulled on the baffles and then said one was broken and needed to be repaired. I asked him if that was part of the inspection and could never get a definitive answer. He also used the hoe to try to add sediment to his measuring stick and did that several times - my impression was he was trying to add so it would indicate it needed to be pumped. Bottom line, I did not trust what he did or said.
Description of Work: Septic Tank Inspection
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
2.0
value
3.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
4.0
$145
Response from River City Environmental
.
BEVERLY B.
09/2011
5.0
drain cleaning, septic tank
 + 0 more
I would recommend them to others. They are not the cheapest but we have called around and nobody is cheap. They were efficient in their work. They were good about calling us and letting us know that they were on their way and they came on time.
Description of Work: We have used River City Environmental Inc multiple times in spring and once in summer. They did my septic tank and cleaning. The last time they came, they removed 1300 gallons from my septic tank.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$356
Mindy M.
08/2011
5.0
biohazard cleanup
 + -1 more
They were very responsive and came on short notice. They were really thorough and careful with my property. They did a great job. I would use them again.
Description of Work: River City Environmental came out to check and rectify a divot I had in my lawn.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Doug S.
06/2011
5.0
septic tank
 + -1 more
Excelent company with good service and price.
Description of Work: My septic tank was about to overflow. These guys were able to squeeze me into their schedule the same day I called.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$475
Ron B.
06/2011
5.0
drain cleaning, plumbing, septic tank
 + 1 more
After a visit by Pat to give an estimate, Russ Johnson was up to the house first thing the next morning to do the repairs. Both Pat and Russ spent time explaining the system and what they recommended for the continued health of the system. I couldn't be more pleased with the service and professionalism shown by both men. Fair price, great service. What more can you ask?
Description of Work: The pipe between my house and the septic tank was broken with sewage leaking into my backyard.
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.
Service Categories
Septic Systems,
Plumbing,
Drain Cleaning,
Sewer Cleaning,
Biohazard Remediation,
Wells and Pumps,
Excavating,
Dumpster Service,
Snow Removal,
Pressure Washing,
Water Heaters,
Hauling
FAQ
River City Environmental is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.
Sunday: Open All Day
Monday: Open All Day
Tuesday: Open All Day
Wednesday: Open All Day
Thursday: Open All Day
Friday: Open All Day
Saturday: Open All Day
River City Environmental accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Check,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
Yes, River City Environmental offers free project estimates.
No, River City Environmental does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, River City Environmental does not offer a senior discount.
No, River City Environmental does not offer emergency services.
No, River City Environmental does not offer warranties.
River City Environmental offers the following services: Repair- Septic Tanks & Pumps. Inspection. Drain Field Cleaning & Jetting. Water Heater. Pipe Bursting. Plumbing. Sewer Lines. Parking Lot. Excavation. Snow Removal. Pressure Washing. Yard Debris. Construction.