Water from outside is handled differently
Water that comes in from outside picks up soil, fertilizer and whatever else was on the ground. Restoration companies treat it as contaminated, the same category as sewage, so carpet and pad it touched usually get removed instead of dried. The crew pumps out the water, removes the ruined materials, cleans and sanitizes the floor and lower walls, then dries the structure.
If a roof or window got damaged, the first step is stopping more water from coming in. Many restoration companies can tarp a roof or board up a window on the first visit.
While you wait
- Clear window wells and the area around basement windows if you can do it safely.
- Point downspouts away from the house, using an extension or a length of pipe if you have one.
- Move belongings off the basement floor.
- If water is near the furnace, water heater or electrical panel, stay out of the basement.
- Photograph the water, where it came in and anything damaged.
Runoff, storms and wind in Ogden
Spring runoff is the big one. After the record snowpack of 2023, the Ogden and Weber rivers ran high for weeks, Weber County residents filled sandbags, and the high water partly washed out State Route 39 in Ogden Canyon. Most years are milder, but the pattern is the same: snow melts fast during a warm stretch in April or May, the ground saturates, and water collects against foundations and pours into window wells.
Homes near the rivers, in West Ogden, along the Ogden River Parkway and down toward Riverdale, deal with higher groundwater in those years. Homes on the benches deal more with water running downhill across yards and driveways. A lot of basement water in spring comes from grading that slopes toward the house or downspouts that drain right at the foundation.
Ogden also gets strong east winds that come down out of the canyons. The September 2020 storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers along the northern Wasatch Front, and the 2011 Davis County windstorm did similar damage just south of here. Wind like that takes off shingles, drops trees and limbs onto roofs and breaks windows, and the next rain or snow gets inside.
Summer thunderstorms can also dump a lot of rain in a short time. Gutters overflow, street drains back up, and water runs down window wells and stairwells into basements.
Crews cover Ogden, North Ogden, South Ogden, Riverdale and Roy. If water is still coming in, say so, and ask whether they can tarp or board up the opening on the first trip.