"Russ" wrote in message
oups.com...
Does any one have any experience dealing with the effects of a natural
spring surfacing near houses?
I wonder how much of a risk this is to this house I am considering
buying:
We have lived here 1 year. Last April, the water began surfacing in the
driveway. It occurs after several days of rain. The water continues to
surface for several days after the rain stops. The spring eventually
dries up until it rains again.
Luckily the house is on a slope, so the water travels away from the
house and into the street gutter.
The water was confirmed by the city as a spring. It was described as an
'artesian'.
The paved driveway was already completely cracked apart by a huge tree
roots next to it, so there is no loss there.
There has been no water or flooding at all inside the house for the one
year we have lived here.
My main concerns are.
1) That it never goes away (like it suddenly appeared) and becomes a
big problem when I go to re-sell the property in 2 years.
2) Paving the driveway is useless because water will eventually destroy
it (or paving it will force the water up in a worse place).
3) The spring begins to surface uphill somewhere under the house.
4) Its an eye sore that devalues the property.
Any opinions on these or others concerns?

This is common, and there are several places like this in our neighborhood,
and likely not a serious threat to selling the house. Nevertheless, this is
a fairly easy fix should you wish to pursue it.
If your house is an uphill house, then the spring is not artesian, it is
just where the hillside water table intersects the base of the concrete in
your driveway, causing seepage during rainy periods. It is the result of an
existing water table that was inadvertently excavated for the street, drive,
and house. Tree roots might have also damned the water in that area. You
should check nearer, and under the house for other springs, as they form
uphill from the driveway..
Since the drive needs repair anyway, I would first carefully record exactly
where the spring area is, clear off all the old concrete, remove roots back
to the edge of the drive, and lay drainage tile conduits or very coarse
gravel under the full width of the drive, starting at the uphill end of the
spring, and run the tile or drain tubes out at the curb. When the rains come
again, the water will run thru the coarse material, and the drain tubes, and
go right out the path of least resistance, to the gutter.
I would definitely consult with a (drainage or foundation) civil engineer
(yellow pages) to get the specifics of how and where to run perforated and
solid tubing, filter sleeves for the tubes, etc etc. You can pay him by the
hour, and he will give you a spec sheet and hand sketch for instructing your
concrete contractor. In my experience contractors know little of such
things, and tend to hip shoot more often than not.