Serving Auburn
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Auburn, WA
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 controlled upstream. Does that make us safe?
It reduces the peak on the river and it does nothing about the rest. Regulation manages flow in the channel; it has no effect on the plateaus shedding into the valley, on the saturated valley fill, or on local storm drainage that has nowhere to discharge when the ground is full. Most of the water that reaches buildings in a valley like this arrives from those sources rather than over a bank.
Why is the ground here so wet even away from the river?
Because the valley floor is deep, soft deposit that holds water and sits close to saturation for much of the winter. Rain that falls on it has nowhere to go and water arriving from the plateaus adds to it. That is a condition of the site rather than a drainage failure. It means crawl spaces stay damp, slabs stay cold and wet underneath, and any drainage work has to move water somewhere rather than expecting the ground to take it.
Does anything dry out here between November and March?
Not really, and that has to shape the approach. With rain arriving continuously rather than in events, materials never get a recovery period, so a small defect runs all winter instead of drying between wettings. Outdoor air offers no drying either. Every job here should assume a closed system with mechanical dehumidification, and inspections are more informative in February than in August.
The Auburn overview carries this FAQ with the city research.