Serving Grand Island
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Grand Island, NE
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 city is named for an island in the river.
It is, and the channel still splits around a long low island here rather than running as one line. Ground between the channels was laid down by the river and sits barely above it, so it behaves as part of the river even in years when nothing overtops. Which side of a channel an address is on decides a great deal.
A hole dug in the yard finds water within a couple of feet.
It generally will. The sand beneath this valley holds water close to the surface across the whole floor, and that level answers to the river rather than to rainfall. It rules out most drainage that needs somewhere lower to discharge into, and it is why anything below floor level here works against a permanent condition.
The wet meadows either side of the city are protected.
They are, and that turns out to matter for drainage as much as for wildlife. Those meadows take and hold an enormous volume during a rise, and nobody is going to be allowed to drain them to speed anything up. Planning around them as permanent storage is more realistic than expecting the ground to be improved.
This FAQ belongs to the Grand Island page; it is repeated here.