What to Do About a High Water Table

High water tables are fairly common, and they can create issues for your home. A high water table means the water in the ground will be closer to your basement or foundation. Let’s take a look at places that commonly have high water tables, what this can mean for your home, and what to do about a high water table.

What’s a High Water Table?

First, what is a water table? And what does it mean to have a high water table?

Deep underground, water completely permeates the spaces between rock, soil, gravel and other materials. This is called the zone of saturation. The top of this zone is the water table, where unsaturated rock and soil meets the saturated zone.

Dry deserts, wet marshlands, and just about every area in between has a water table somewhere. In very dry areas, the water table will likely be very deep, though the water table can meet the surface and create a formation like an oasis. In areas like marshlands or springs, the water table also meets the surface on a regular basis.

Water tables rise and fall, and their depth can vary greatly from area to area, as well as season to season. A high water table can refer to a water table that has recently refilled or recharged, so it’s back to its expected high point. A high water table might also refer to a water table that is unusually close to the surface compared to other areas.

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Michigan’s High Water Table

Many different things can affect the height or depth of the water table, including precipitation, surrounding water features, the soil, rock, and other materials in the ground.

Michigan has many features which create high water tables across the state. First of all, Michigan is almost completely surrounded by lakes. Michigan also has thousands of miles of rivers and streams, thousands of smaller lakes and springs, and thousands of acres of wetlands. Michigan also gets plenty of snow, sleet, and rain. All of these things contribute to high water tables all across the state. In fact, Michigan has 9% of the nation’s public groundwater supply systems, the highest share of any state.

Problems with a High Water Table

There are, of course, many advantages of a high water table and lots of groundwater. High water tables are great for crops, they support complex and diverse habitats, they support industry and economic benefits, and, perhaps most importantly, they give us a source of drinkable water. In Michigan, about 45% of the population depends on groundwater for drinking, amounting to about 700 million gallons per day.

There are some problems with a high water table as well. A high water table can raise difficulties for construction, including home construction. Similar difficulties can arise for existing constructions. With a high water table, hydrostatic pressure builds up around the home, which can force moisture through cracks in the walls or foundation. Since many areas of Michigan can often experience a high water table, this can present problems for Michigan homes with basements.

What to Do About a High Water Table

If you have a high water table near your home, what can you do about it? While you can’t actually change the level of the water table, there are things you can do to mitigate the moisture in your basement that can result from a high water table.

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Moving Water Away From Your Home

Moving the water away from your home is one way to prevent effects from a high water table. One way to do this is through drain systems like French drains. French drain systems are designed to move moisture away from your foundation using trenches, either around the interior or exterior basement walls. This reduces hydrostatic pressure and prevents flooding or puddles in your basement.

Securing Your Exterior

If you’re wondering about what to do about a high water table, waterproofing the exterior of your basement or foundation can be a good option. Exterior basement waterproofing also uses drains to move water away from the home, as well as barriers to prevent moisture from seeping through the concrete. Since it shields the basement or foundation from water before it enters, this is one of the most reliable ways to mitigate effects of a high water table.

Sealing Cracks

One of the effects of a high water table is moisture intrusion through cracks in the basement walls or floor. If the cracks don’t present structural risks to the home, the cracks can be filled to prevent moisture from getting through. The industry-leading polyurethane injection method can completely seal a crack in the foundation walls and prevent moisture from getting through.

A high water table can cause some issues in or around your home. However, there are things you can do about a high water table to mitigate the damaging effects to your home. Knowing what causes a high water table and how to prevent the effects of moisture can help keep your home safe.