Serving St. Albans
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in St. Albans, VT
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
Why is the soil here so heavy?
It was laid down on the bed of a much larger body of water that covered this lowland after the ice retreated. That produced deep, fine, dense clay across the whole area, and its infiltration rate is very low. Water on this ground runs off or stands rather than soaking away, which is quite different from the sandier valleys elsewhere in the state.
How much does the lake level actually vary?
More than its size suggests it should. It has reached record levels within recent memory, driven by a wet spring on a large catchment with a constricted outlet, and it stayed high for weeks. For low ground near the shore that duration matters as much as the peak.
The frost goes deep here.
It does, and frozen clay takes no water at all. A thaw or a winter rain therefore runs off essentially in full, at a time of year when there is a great deal of stored snow to release. Frost also heaves shallow buried lines, so faults appear in spring that were not present in autumn.
These questions come from the St. Albans page.