How bad is the flooding in the Falls Church / Falls Church City area?

[ExDCer]

Perhaps I asked the wrong question.... I am concerned about basement flooding, but also interested in hearing anecdotes about streets flooding as well as ongoing stormwater drainage issues in specific areas of FC. Are there certain areas or streets that have these issues? The property I'm looking at has a french drain installed, but I'm afraid the entire backyard will still be a soggy mess whenever it rains a bit.

These may be pretty dumb questions, but I'm new to the area and it's the first time I'm looking at SFHs. Thanks again for all the responses.

[leighland]

This is specific to Falls Church City zip 22046.

[url=http://fcnp.com/2014/06/27/f-c-public-works-hears-neighborhood-sewer-woes/]F.C. Public Works Hears Neighborhood Sewer Woes - Falls Church News-Press Online[/url]

*its from last year but I understand the same issues are ongoing. Just follow FCNP for updates

[RandomNovaGuy]

I think that sometime around 2011, neighborhoods around Four Mile Run and Tripps Run were flooded. I remember that all of the traffic lights were out, and I had to walk from East Falls Church toward Victor's Comic on Lee Highway. I think that the water level on streets around Four Mile Run was up to my ankle on that day.
Most of the homes in this area are quite old, so eventually water would seep through the foundation walls or the concrete slab in the basement. We used to get water in the basement a few times a year even though we have an elevated lot. We finally got tired of it and installed a sump pump. We wish that the previous owners had done so before finishing the basement. If I'm looking for older homes in the area, I would definitely look for homes with a sump pump.

[Carlingtonian]

There's a big difference between "wet basement" and flooding. Many houses will get some moisture in the basement without sump pumps or grading/drainage work. Actual flooding is rare. If there are sump pumps and the house is not at the bottom of a hill and not in those certain parts of Alexandria, odds are there is no flooding.

[slim04]

Originally Posted by leighland

This is specific to Falls Church City zip 22046.

F.C. Public Works Hears Neighborhood Sewer Woes - Falls Church News-Press Online

*its from last year but I understand the same issues are ongoing. Just follow FCNP for updates

Here is another article that mentions specific streets where basement flooding has occurred:

F.C. Citizens Cite "Chronic" Storm Water Problems at Town Hall Meeting - Falls Church News-Press Online

I'm not an expert, but an old time resident of Falls Church City told me it was related to storm water seeping into a century old waste water sewage pipes that are only designed to carry out waste water.

Pre-1960's, houses could have storm drainage piped into the same waste water pipe. When it storms, the waste pipe can overflow and causes sewage backups and basement flooding.

The City is trying to decide whether to spend hundreds of millions to fix the entire system, or just do more measured fixes. They paid plumbers to do a video scope of the waste and storm pipes that connect to the main waste water pipe. Supposedly, they found that many, many homeowners had tree roots growing in their pipes and that may be causing some of the backup problems.

I have no idea what the City is going to do. Per the article, it isn't a problem throughout the Falls Church area. One know one person that lives in one of the neighborhoods cited in the article and they never had a flooding issue in 30 years, but they know one person that gets basement flooding about every 5 years.

[ExDCer]

Thanks,
Leighland
RandomNovaGuy
Carlingtonian
and slim04!

Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. The storm water drains connecting directly to the sewage system is pretty gross.... I guess it was common in older homes, but it makes me nervous. Well, we've had a ton of rain and will have more tomorrow, so maybe the answer is I drive out on Sunday and take a peek at some of these houses' yards before making any decisions.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by ExDCer

Thanks,
Leighland
RandomNovaGuy
Carlingtonian
and slim04!

Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. The storm water drains connecting directly to the sewage system is pretty gross.... I guess it was common in older homes, but it makes me nervous. Well, we've had a ton of rain and will have more tomorrow, so maybe the answer is I drive out on Sunday and take a peek at some of these houses' yards before making any decisions.

Happy to help! Our house was built in 1940, and being so close to Falls Church, it may run on the same type of system. But we've never had any problems, even with all the rain. (Other than some water getting in due to a holey window-well cover.)

[Fallout Zone]

This has now been a top-10 all-time month for rainfall in DC, and I haven't seen any problems in my neighborhood other than mulch that was swept away.