East of Tigard, across the city line
Waterproofing in Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego is a separate city with its own storm system. Clean Water Services covers only small parts of it, so the Washington County rules described elsewhere on this site mostly stop at the boundary.
On a slope, one wall takes the water
If your house is cut into a hillside, with a lower floor that opens to the yard on the downhill side, the uphill wall is a retaining wall as well as a basement wall. Everything that falls on the slope above heads for it.
The signs are a damp uphill wall, water at the foot of that wall after long rain, and a wet strip of ground along the top side of the house.
The repair usually starts uphill, with a drain that catches water before it reaches the wall. Yard drainage and exterior waterproofing describe the two ways of doing it. Work beside a wall that is holding back soil needs care, so ask how the trench will be supported.
What the city looks after, and what it asks of you
The public system
Lake Oswego says it designs, builds, maintains and repairs the public stormwater pipes and catch basins. That system is separate from the sewer.
Leaves on the grates
The city warns that fallen leaves block storm drains and cause local flooding. It asks people to clear the surface of catch basins near their property with a broom or rake.
Leaves in the road
Raking, blowing or piling leaves into the roadway is against city code. They end up on the grate at the bottom of the hill, which may be yours.
Digging here can need an erosion permit
The city's stormwater page says erosion control permits are required for construction projects, and that its stormwater manual applies to private development and redevelopment as well as public work.
An exterior dig or a long drain trench on a slope moves a lot of soil. Ask the company whether the job needs that permit, who applies, and how spoil will be kept from washing downhill in the meantime.
Flood zone questions
Look up the address on FEMA's flood map if the house is near the lake, a creek or the river.
Washington County's flood resources page lists a floodplain contact at the City of Lake Oswego, which is the place to ask what a mapped zone means for work on your house.
Extra questions for a Lake Oswego house
- Have you pulled permits from the City of Lake Oswego before?
- Where does the collected water end up, and has the city agreed to that outlet?
- How will machines reach the uphill side, and what happens to the planting there?
Hillside house with a damp lower floor?
Call and say which wall is wet and which way the lot slopes.
Get a waterproofing company on the phone
For homeowners with water coming into a basement or crawl space, or a yard that drains toward the house.
Call (503) 555-0120Calls can be recorded. Read how the referral is paid for and what happens to your details.