"69strat" wrote in message
oups.com...
We had a house built three years ago. Never had a problem with water
in the basement...until today. Lots of water down there. We did get a
massive 3" of rain in only a few hours, and the power went out for a
bit so the sump pump couldn't work. This has happened before and there
wasn't any problem. Also none of my neighbors had any flooding
problems and their power was out as well.

Recently builders have dug up the land right beside us as a new
development is going in. Sewers are getting installed. This is the
first big rain since they dug everything up. I'm worried they may have
broken a pipe or done something to cause water to back up into my
basement.

I didn't see any water around the outside of the house. I don't really
know how a sump pump works or how the water gets in there. But I need
to figure this out. I'd appreciate any ideas or input on this. thank
you.

Call the county / city utility departments and find out who might be
familiar with the water table level around your area. What's its depth?
There should be some civil engineer type who will be knowledgeable, but
you'll have to ask around to find him. describe your situation to him.

With the new excavations, maybe a hole filled in with water during the rain
that then fed water toward your place. If so, that will cure itself.
However, if you have a high water table, and they are changing the terrain,
they might be creating a more permanent problem for you. I'd get on top of
this ASAP.