Serving St. Augustine
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in St. Augustine, FL
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
The streets flood on sunny days in the autumn.
That is the seasonal high tide rather than any storm. The highest astronomical tides fall in late summer and autumn, and on ground this low they reach the streets without any weather involved. It is predictable to the hour, which is genuinely useful: the tide tables tell you when rather than if.
The building is made of coquina.
That shell stone is porous and takes up moisture readily, which is part of why these walls have survived four centuries of this climate without trapping damage inside them. It also means treating them like modern masonry is a mistake. Sealing such a wall can hold water in the fabric rather than keeping it out.
How much protection does being behind the barrier island give?
It takes the wave energy, which matters for one kind of damage and not for water level. Surge fills the river and the marsh behind the island, so the level arrives from the landward side as readily as the seaward. Properties along the river see the height without the surf.
These questions come from the St. Augustine page.