Serving Bath
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Bath, ME
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 river is tidal this far up?
It is, and the range here is substantial. That matters because anything discharging into it can only do so while the tide is low enough, so for several hours of every cycle the drainage has no outlet. A storm landing in the wrong part of that cycle behaves quite differently from the same storm six hours later.
The cellar is stone and has been wet as long as anyone remembers.
In stock of this age that is the normal condition rather than a defect that appeared. These cellars were built as cold storage with no membrane and no expectation of dryness, and they performed their original function perfectly well while damp. The problem arises when the space is put to a use the construction never anticipated.
There is rock a short way under the whole property.
That is common across this city and it removes most of the ground storage. Rain fills the thin soil above the ledge quickly and then runs along the rock surface, arriving at cellar walls from the side rather than from below. On a slope that flow is concentrated, which is why the uphill wall is usually the wet one.
The Bath overview carries this FAQ with the city research.