How the City of Saskatoon Is Saving an Estimated $425,000 a Year With a New Approach to Curb Stop Repairs

Routine curb stop repairs may be relatively small jobs, but the excavation required to reach them often isn’t.

In Saskatoon, water services are typically buried approximately nine feet below grade. Traditionally, accessing a curb stop could require a conventional trench box, a larger excavation, multiple pieces of equipment and significant restoration once the repair was complete.

The City of Saskatoon decided to look at the process differently.

Today, its Water & Sewer Maintenance team is using hydrovac excavation together with the EasyDig Circular Aluminum Shoring System as part of a new approach to curb stop replacements.

According to the City’s own reporting, the results are significant.

SASKATOON CURB STOP RESULTS

$425,000
Estimated annual savings

$5,000
Approximate savings per replacement

7 HOURS → 5 HOURS
Average time on site

SMALLER CREWS + LESS EQUIPMENT
A more efficient approach to routine repairs

LESS EXCAVATION
Reduced disruption and restoration

Source: City of Saskatoon, 2025 Service, Savings & Sustainability Report. Figures reflect the City’s overall Hydrovac Shoring / Curb Stop Replacement process.

$425,000 in Estimated Annual Savings

In its 2025 Service, Savings & Sustainability Report, the City of Saskatoon reports that its updated curb stop replacement process uses smaller crews and less excavation, keeps water service running, avoids Drinking Water Advisories and reduces average time on site from approximately seven hours to five.

The City estimates the new process saves approximately $5,000 per replacement. Based on approximately 85 replacements annually, that adds up to an estimated $425,000 in annual savings.

In fact, the City specifically lists “Hydrovac Shoring – Curb Stop Replacement” at $425,000 among its highlighted savings initiatives for 2025.

These savings reflect Saskatoon’s overall new curb stop replacement process, with EasyDig playing an important role in allowing crews to safely work within a much smaller excavation.

A Smaller Excavation for a Small Repair

Saskatoon didn't simply purchase EasyDig and change its process overnight.

As recently documented by Municipal Sewer & Watermagazine, Saskatoon crews first observed a contractor using EasyDig's round aluminum trench-shoring system. The City then evaluated the system on approximately two dozen repairs before ultimately purchasing its own units.

Instead of opening a large excavation and installing a conventional trench box, crews can hydrovac around the repair location while lowering the modular EasyDig system into place.

The result is a small excavation directly around the work area.

According to Municipal Sewer & Water, the approach has helped Saskatoon reduce excavation footprints, minimize surface restoration and allow smaller crews to complete the work safely.

Less Excavation Means Less Restoration

The benefits of reducing the excavation footprint extend beyond the repair itself.

Curb stops aren't always conveniently located in open ground. They can be beneath driveways, beside sidewalks, close to retaining walls or surrounded by established landscaping.

A larger excavation can mean removing and later replacing infrastructure that wasn't actually part of the original repair.

Saskatoon Operations Superintendent Tyler Hillis described the difference in Municipal Sewer & Water. In the past, accessing a curb stop beneath a driveway could mean removing a substantial portion of the driveway. With the smaller excavation, crews can better contain the work area and significantly reduce the remediation required afterward.

For municipalities, that can mean less excavation, less backfill, less trucking, less surface restoration and less disruption for residents.

From Two Jobs in Two Days to Two Jobs in One

The change has also had an impact on productivity.

Hillis told Municipal Sewer & Water that during winter conditions, two curb stop jobs that previously could have taken two days can now be completed in one.

That matters for municipal departments balancing emergency response, aging infrastructure, scheduled maintenance and limited crews.

Saving time on a routine repair doesn't just reduce the cost of that particular job. It creates additional capacity for crews and equipment to be used elsewhere.

Challenging “The Way We’ve Always Done It”

Perhaps the most interesting part of Saskatoon’s experience isn't the equipment or even the $425,000 savings estimate.

It's the thinking behind the change.

The City's Water & Sewer Maintenance Department has been actively reconsidering long-standing processes and testing new approaches to determine whether routine work can be completed more efficiently.

Hillis told Municipal Sewer & Water that he had seen work being performed a certain way simply because “it’s how we’d always done it.”

Instead, Saskatoon has been willing to test alternatives.

EasyDig was one of them.

The City tested the system in the field, evaluated the results and ultimately incorporated it into its curb stop replacement program.

Today, Saskatoon itself is reporting an estimated $425,000 in annual savings from its new hydrovac shoring curb stop replacement process.

Sometimes improving an underground repair doesn't require making the operation bigger.

Sometimes it means making the excavation smaller.

See Saskatoon’s New Curb Stop Repair Process in Action

The City of Saskatoon has documented its innovative curb stop replacement process and the savings it is generating. Spot EasyDig at 1:30 in the video below.

Interested in seeing how EasyDig could change the way your crews approach curb stops, hydrants, valves and other small utility excavations?

Request an EasyDig Demo: sales@easydig.ca