Serving Santa Barbara
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Santa Barbara, 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
Why do burn scars matter so much here?
Because of what sits below them. Ground stripped by fire sheds water instead of absorbing it and carries rock, ash and timber with it, and here the slope it comes off is steep and the distance to the built area is very short. That combination produces debris flows rather than ordinary flooding, and this area has seen how destructive those are.
The rain intensity in town seems moderate.
What falls in town is not the relevant measurement. The range immediately behind lifts incoming air abruptly and can produce rainfall rates on the slopes several times what the coast records at the same moment. The creeks respond to what fell up there, so local observation understates the situation badly.
The creek through the neighborhood is small and shallow.
It has a very short, very steep catchment behind it, which is a different thing from being a small stream. Water reaches it from the mountains within minutes and it can rise dramatically with no gradual warning. Judging one of these channels by its dry-season appearance is the standard error here.
This FAQ belongs to the Santa Barbara page; it is repeated here.