Serving New Bern
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in New Bern, NC
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 ocean is a long way off. How did the sea get here?
It came up the rivers rather than across the land. A sustained wind pushes water out of the sound and into wide, shallow tidal rivers, and it keeps pushing for as long as the wind holds, so the level here rises without any surf being involved. That is why properties tens of miles from open water take salt water, and why the wind field matters more than the track.
The rise was only a few feet and it went everywhere.
On rivers this wide and this shallow a small rise translates into a very large area covered, which is the opposite of how a river in a narrow valley behaves. It also means the level climbs more gradually. The useful figure is the forecast level against the elevation of a specific property rather than a general impression of how high the water looks.
Rain and high water at the same time.
That is the combination that does the damage here. Rainfall needs somewhere to drain to and the rivers are the only destination, so when they are being held up by wind there is nowhere for it to go. The two hazards are separate in principle and they arrive together in practice. Planning has to assume both rather than one.
This FAQ belongs to the New Bern page; it is repeated here.