Water in Old Town basements—normal or no? (Alexandria, Cana: rental homes, houses)

[DragonPi]

Looking at rental homes in Old Town Alexandria, and a number of them seem to have water issues in the basement. Not surprising really, but if an owner is telling me the basement gets water every time it rains, is that normal/safe, or no? What amount of water do you consider acceptable if you live here?

To be clear, most of these places do have sump pumps, and claim not to have had mold issues, but is that possible if it’s getting wet routinely? Even concrete/cement can have mold. Would you rent a place you knew had gotten multiple feet of water during a serious storm surge even if it was some years back? What about a place that gets an inch or two during normal heavy rain, even if it clears quickly? Where do you draw the line for an unfinished basement you don’t plan to use? I’ve lived in very old houses before, but nothing this close to the water table, so this is quite outside my experience. Tia.

[ozzyngcsu]

Totally normal, large portions of Old Town flood when there is a significant amount of rain.

[webster]

Some parts of Old Town deal with several issues related to flooding: increased sea levels, glacial rebound* and being built on the site of the colonial era trash dump which is sinking. (Alexandria was the fifth busiest port in the American colonies.) Ships sunk and used as landfill, bodies as well as usual trash have been found.

* glacial rebound is the Earth's mantle moving to its pre-ice age equilibrium level. Northeastern US and Canada are being pushed up, the Mid-Atlantic is sinking.

[webster]

Some localities in VA have established officers to deal with rising water and related issues. Alexandria has also. They might be able to provide insight: https://www.alexandriava.gov/news-ci...climate-action

[springfieldva]

It's normal. It shouldn't be happening with every rain but with the heavier rains it's pretty common.

Love Old Town, it's a very cool place to live.

[NOVAmtneer82]

Yes it's quite normal. Old Town is a great place but flooding is continuing to be a problem especially with quick heavy rains combined with higher than normal tides.

[DragonPi]

Good to know, thanks! Every owner I’ve asked has said they don’t have mold issues…is that a head in the sand thing, or is it really not common?

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by DragonPi

Good to know, thanks! Every owner I’ve asked has said they don’t have mold issues…is that a head in the sand thing, or is it really not common?

I've never seen moldy basements in Old Town. I have seen basements with a "basement smell" before - not unpleasant just basement-ey like crawl spaces and attics have their own sort of scent. But usually if you keep the house climate controlled and run a dehumidifier, if necessary, you're good.

Are you particularly susceptible to mold? Are you used to having a basement?

[DragonPi]

I’ve had a basement before, but never a wet one. Yeah, my kid has mold allergies and I have asthma.

[DAXhound]

Few seem to understand the fundamentals of keeping water away from the foundation. Run the address through www.riskfactor.com for starters Run off can also be problematic in urban areas. Trust your nose, too.