Serving Alameda
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Alameda, CA
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
Which half of the island is this on?
It is the question worth answering first, because the two behave nothing alike. The original ground is firmer, higher and older; the filled portion was placed into shallow water and has been settling ever since. Foundation movement, how close the water sits and what a below-grade space will do all follow from that. City and geological mapping distinguishes them clearly.
The building has settled and it keeps settling.
On filled ground that is expected rather than alarming, though it should be measured rather than judged by eye. Fill consolidates for many decades and it does so unevenly, so one part of a structure drops relative to another. The water consequence is that drains and waste lines crack at their joints as it moves. Repeated failures in the same run usually have movement behind them.
Water appears in the crawl space with no rain.
On an island the level underfoot is held up by the water all around it, so a crawl close to that level takes water on the tide rather than on the weather. It is why the wet appears on a rhythm that has nothing to do with storms. Gutters and grading do not touch it. A sealed ground barrier with a pit and a pump beneath is the arrangement that works.
This FAQ belongs to the Alameda page; it is repeated here.