So, I had some fun yesterday before the current storm as a result of the last storm.
Since Friday, we had been getting water in the basement. We got 5" of rain out of the storm in my area, so that's understandable as our basement gets wet from time to time. Our fairly new sump pump was cranking out the water, so I didn't think much of it. On Monday, my basement was still getting water. I figured it was due to the high water table. But by Tuesday, the ground was drying up and I was still getting a steady flow of water. To make matters worse, I noticed since the storm that our water pressure to the house was a bit lower than usual. It has fluctuated in the past, so I didn't think much of it, that is until I saw where the leak was. It was right under the main water supply line from the street.
Here's the area that was getting the most water:
And a gif of the water, which was coming in directly underneath the supply pipe:
Yesterday morning, my wife called the town water company to have them come down and take a look. Within minutes, they identified that there was a huge leak, and it was at the street. So they marked things off and called in the big guns.
Not knowing if they were going to have to cut up our new street they had just put in last year, they prepared for the worst. When the equipment showed up, they started digging a hole in my front yard.
Oh boy. That water was coming from the street side of the leak.
Big freaking hole! They had 4 guys down in there at one point.
Problem solved. The leak was at the old junction where the street meets with my house's supply line. They think that the storm's high water table busted it loose. It was probably leaking slowly for years, and this storm finally did it in for good. It was installed in 1944 when the house was built. Pipe to my house, surprisingly, was cast iron and in fantastic shape.
And done. They said they would come back and add more loam and re-seed the yard for me in the spring. Water pressure to my house has never been this good since moving in nearly 8 years ago. And no more leaks in the basement!
BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!!!
While digging around in the hole, we were talking about all the cool old stuff they have found on other jobs around town. And moments after that, they pulled this stuff out! The cast iron thing is an old hand pump head, and was found right next to the water line to the house. They found a medicine bottle and a horseshoe (obviously) as well. The pump head will be cleaned off and de-rusted and used for decoration in the backyard somewhere. Way cool!
I dodged a HUGE bullet here. Because it was at the street, the town had to cover the cost. If it was in my yard, it would have cost me thousands to repair. I am very lucky.