Serving Ashland
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Ashland, KY
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
Does the floodwall keep water out of basements on the flat?
Two things, both of which the wall is not designed to address. Groundwater rises with the river during prolonged high stages and comes up through basement floors behind the wall. And local rainfall has to be pumped out while the wall is closed, because it cannot drain to a river that is higher than the town. Most of what reaches houses during a river event comes from those sources rather than over the wall.
Water comes off the hill behind us within minutes.
That is the other half of the local geometry and it is completely separate from the river. Steep slopes immediately behind the city shed almost everything they receive, so heavy rain arrives at the properties below almost immediately. There is no warning to work with. Interception uphill of the building, with a drain that carries water past rather than into it, is the effective response.
Should we follow the river gauge or the forecast?
Both, for different reasons. The Ohio's stage here reflects rainfall across a very large upstream basin, so gauge forecasts give days of useful warning for the river mechanism. The hillside mechanism follows the local rainfall forecast and offers no lead time at all. Knowing which one your property is exposed to determines which one is worth watching, and properties on the flat are exposed to both.
The Ashland overview carries this FAQ with the city research.