Serving Florence
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Florence, AL
Basement seepage, failed sumps, and hydrostatic pressure against the foundation are extracted and dried, and the path from the ground is identified so the loss does not repeat. Groundwater and basement seepage are extracted and dried only after the path from the soil is identified — a wall, a slab, a drain, or a failed sump. Drying the interior without stopping that path returns the same water to the same floor.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the worst of it in January rather than in a summer storm?
Because of what the ground is doing rather than what the sky is. In summer the trees and grass draw water out constantly and the soil has room for a heavy afternoon. From December through February nothing is growing, the ground is already full, and the wettest month of the year lands on it. The same two inches produce a completely different result in the two seasons.
There is water in the crawl every winter and none in July.
That is the seasonal pattern doing exactly what it does here rather than a leak that comes and goes. Ground that stays full from December to March pushes moisture into a crawl space continuously, and the space gets no chance to dry because the air outside is carrying the same moisture. A sealed ground barrier and a closed crawl deal with it; ventilation in this climate frequently makes it worse.
The river level moves and it has not rained.
The level here answers to operations upstream as well as to weather, so it changes for reasons that are not visible from the bank. That is not a hazard in itself and it is generally well managed, but it does mean reasoning about the river from the local sky is unreliable. For anything near the water, the published level and its forecast are the numbers to use.
This FAQ belongs to the Florence page; it is repeated here.