Drainage & Stormwater Services in Wenatchee, WA
Send Runoff Somewhere Useful Before It Picks Its Own Route
Water that has nowhere to go will find the lowest point on your property, and that is usually a crawl space, a driveway, or the base of a retaining wall. Gates Brothers Excavation designs and builds drainage and stormwater solutions for properties in Wenatchee, WA, and across East Wenatchee, Cashmere, Leavenworth, and the wider Wenatchee Valley. This page covers surface and subsurface water control on valley-floor lots and foothill slopes alike.
Ground here runs from river cobble and sandy loam to rocky hillside and old orchard soil, and each one moves water differently. With 15+ years reading that ground, we size and place drains around how your lot actually behaves in a March thaw rather than a generic detail. We are owner-operated, Isaac Gates is on site, and veterans and first responders receive 10% off. Describe your water problem through our estimate request form.
Drainage Solutions We Provide
French Drains and Curtain Drains
Perforated pipe in a washed-rock trench collects subsurface water and carries it to daylight. A curtain drain runs across a slope above the area you want dry, intercepting hillside seepage before it ever reaches the lawn or the foundation.
Footing and Perimeter Foundation Drains
Wet basements and damp crawl spaces usually start below grade. We excavate to the footing, install drain pipe in rock and filter fabric, tie in any wall drainage, and route the outlet to gravity discharge or a sump.
Catch Basins and Area Drains
Low spots that hold water after every storm need somewhere to send it. Grated basins collect surface flow from lawns, patios, and parking areas, then feed solid pipe that carries it off to an outfall, a dry well, or a ditch.
Downspout and Roof Water Lines
A roof sheds an enormous volume in a short storm, and dumping it at the corner of the house undoes everything else. We connect downspouts to buried solid pipe and carry roof water well past the foundation before releasing it.
Swales, Grading, and Dry Wells
Sometimes the fix is shaping the ground rather than burying pipe. We cut shallow swales to guide sheet flow, re-grade so the land falls away from structures, and build dry wells or infiltration pits where soil will take the water.
Culverts, Ditching, and Slope Erosion Control
Driveways crossing a drainage course need a culvert sized and set at the right invert, with ditching upstream and down to keep it flowing. On slopes we add rock, matting, and check structures so spring runoff stops carving channels.
How Better Drainage Protects Land and Structures
A Crawl Space That Stays Dry Through the Thaw
Standing water under a house brings mold, rot, insulation damage, and a smell that works its way upstairs. Intercepting groundwater before it reaches the footing keeps the space under your floor dry through the wettest weeks of the year.
Foundation Walls Relieved of Water Pressure
Saturated soil pushes hard against concrete, and that pressure is what opens cracks and moves walls over time. Taking the water away before it builds up means the structure is carrying the house, not holding back a reservoir.
Yard Ground You Can Actually Use
A lawn that turns to soup every spring is a lawn nobody walks on, mows, or plants. Moving surface water off gives you usable ground months earlier, and it stops the rutting that comes from driving across saturated soil.
Topsoil and Slopes That Stay Where You Put Them
Runoff carries away the material you paid to place, and once a channel forms it deepens every season. Controlling where water travels on a hillside protects landscaping, retaining walls, and the shape of the ground itself for the long run.
Driveways and Access Roads That Hold Together
Water under a gravel surface is what creates potholes, soft spots, and washboarding, and no amount of fresh rock fixes it. Ditching and culverts that keep the road base drained mean far less regrading and patching, year after year.
Neighbors and Downhill Structures Left Out of It
Solving your water by pushing it onto the property below creates a different problem and sometimes an argument. Directing flow to an appropriate outfall or letting it soak in on site handles the runoff without handing it to someone else.
Water You Control Is Water That Stops Costing You
Every wet basement, rutted driveway, and washed-out slope started as water with no plan. Gates Brothers Excavation reads the way runoff actually moves across a site in Wenatchee, WA, then builds the drains, grades, and outfalls that send it somewhere harmless. There is no rush to decide anything, and a conversation about what you are seeing on the ground is a good place to start. If water is showing up where it should not be, or you want the drainage handled before you build, send us the details through our estimate request form and we will tell you what we see.
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a French drain and a curtain drain?
Both are perforated pipe in a rock trench, but placement separates them. A French drain collects water within an area you want dry, while a curtain drain sits upslope of it and cuts off flow before it arrives.
How do I know if my house needs a footing drain?
Damp or musty crawl spaces, efflorescence on basement walls, seepage after storms, and water stains at the base of foundation walls all point to it. A wet spring that dries out by July is the classic warning pattern.
Where should downspout water be discharged?
Far enough from the foundation that it cannot work back toward the footing, ideally into buried solid pipe running to a lower outfall or dry well. Gates Brothers Excavation routes roof water this way on homes across Wenatchee, WA.
Why does water pool in my yard after every rain?
Usually because the grade falls toward that spot instead of away from it, or a compacted layer underneath stops water from soaking down. Old orchard ground and construction traffic both leave soil that sheds water rather than absorbing it.
Do dry wells work in rocky or cobbly soil?
They work best there, since coarse river deposits accept water quickly, and poorly in tight clay or hardpan. Drawing on 15+ years in local ground, Gates Brothers Excavation checks how a site absorbs water in Wenatchee, WA before committing to one.
How can I stop erosion on a steep slope?
Slow the water down and keep it from concentrating. Check structures, rock armoring, erosion matting, and established vegetation each reduce velocity, while a diversion built above the slope keeps upstream runoff from ever crossing the face of it.
What does positive drainage mean?
It means the ground falls consistently away from a structure so water leaves on its own rather than collecting against it. Flat or reverse grade next to a building is one of the most common causes of chronic moisture.
When is the best time of year to install drainage?
Late spring through fall gives workable ground and dry trenches, though seeing the problem during a wet stretch helps enormously. Walking a site while water is actually running shows where it comes from better than any dry-day guess.