Serving Bismarck
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Bismarck, ND
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 came up in March with no rain.
Ice is the usual explanation. A thaw breaks a thick sheet into pieces, they move downstream together and lodge where the channel narrows, and the water behind rises quickly against the blockage. It can happen with no rainfall at all and it can release just as suddenly. Winter and early spring high water here gives less warning than any summer event does.
How much do the releases upstream matter?
A great deal, and they are decided for the whole system rather than for this city. A heavy snowpack across a very large area upstream has to be passed through eventually, and the timing and rate of that are managed choices. Those decisions are published and explained. For anyone near the river they are more informative than the local forecast during spring.
Frost that deep. What does it do?
It seals the ground so that the melt runs across the surface rather than into it, and it works foundations from the side. Water in the soil beside a wall freezes, expands and pushes, which over many winters shows as horizontal cracking partway up. How wet the soil was going into the freeze is the main thing an owner controls, so getting roof water clear before autumn closes matters.
Read it with the local conditions on the Bismarck page.