Serving Cody
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Cody, WY
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
What is bentonite and why does everyone here mention it?
It is a clay that expands dramatically when it takes on water, and the Bighorn Basin has a great deal of it. A foundation sitting in bentonite is fine while the soil stays at a steady moisture level and moves when that changes. That makes downspout discharge, irrigation beside the wall, and a slow supply leak far more consequential here than they would be on stable ground. Keeping moisture around the perimeter even and low is the whole game.
The river is high but it has not rained in weeks.
That is mountain snowmelt, which runs on the snowpack's schedule rather than the local weather's. The Shoshone can carry substantial flow well after the town itself is dry and warm. For properties near the water it means the risk period extends through the melt season rather than tracking storms, and watching upstream snowpack and reservoir information gives more useful warning than the local forecast.
What is the right approach for plumbing in an unheated shop or barn?
Drain it for the season rather than trying to keep it warm. Heating an outbuilding through a Wyoming winter is expensive and it fails during exactly the cold snap that would have caused the freeze anyway. A drained system cannot split. Where a building must stay in service, insulation plus a reliable heat source plus a low-temperature alarm is the combination that works, and the alarm is the part most people leave out.
This FAQ belongs to the Cody page; it is repeated here.