How the Green and White Rivers Reach Auburn Homes
Two dammed rivers, one valley floor, and the places that have taken water.
AUBURN, WASHINGTON · KING & PIERCE COUNTY
Water Damage Restoration in Auburn, WA
Water through a ceiling, a soaked carpet, a basement with an inch on the floor, or river water at the door. Auburn restoration companies: (253) 338-5837.
- Restoration, mitigation & flood cleanup
- Auburn-area restoration companies
- King & Pierce County
If water is coming in now
- Keep clear of wet outlets and any ceiling that bows.
- If gas is involved, leave the house and call the utility from outside.
- Then call (253) 338-5837.
Water Damage in Auburn, From the Top Down
Water damage restoration in Auburn usually starts at one level of the house. A roof gives way in a long rain, an upstairs bathroom leaks into the room below, a floor soaks up a burst line, a basement or crawlspace takes on water, or the Green or White River pushes surface water toward the doors. Restoration companies handle mitigation, extraction, drying and repair. Water in the house? (253) 338-5837.
This page is laid out the way water moves: down. Find the level where you see the problem, read what it usually means, and call. If water shows up on more than one level, it almost always started at the highest one.
Where Is the Water?
- Attic and roofline. What you'll notice: a stain that starts at the top-floor ceiling during a long rain, wet insulation, a drip near a bath fan or skylight. What it means: water has been running across the attic floor before it showed. Wet insulation holds water against the drywall, and the stain spreads after the rain stops. Why it needs a restoration company: the attic, the insulation and the ceiling below all need drying, and the wet insulation usually has to come out. Bring in a restoration company: (253) 338-5837. More: ceiling water damage repair.
- Ceilings. What you'll notice: a brown circle under an upstairs bathroom, paint that bubbles, drywall that bows. What it means: a toilet seal, a tub drain or an upstairs supply line has been leaking into the floor framing, and the ceiling is the first place it can escape. A bowed ceiling is holding water. Keep out from under it. Why it needs a restoration company: both floors need readings and drying, the one above and the one below. (253) 338-5837. More: ceiling water damage.
- Walls and floors. What you'll notice: carpet that squishes, hardwood that cups, a baseboard that's soft, a bathroom floor that flooded and spread under the vanity. What it means: water has moved under the flooring and up into the drywall by wicking. Why it needs a restoration company: extraction, then drying with meters, decides what can stay. Get Auburn water damage handled: (253) 338-5837. More: drywall, carpet and floor water damage.
- Basement and crawlspace. What you'll notice: water across a daylight basement floor on one of the hills, or standing water under a house on the valley floor. What it means: groundwater, a window well, a supply line or a water heater. Under the house, water can sit unseen for a long time. Why it needs a restoration company: pumping, drying and replacing the vapor barrier or insulation is equipment work. Wet ceiling, wet floor, wet crawlspace? (253) 338-5837. More: basements and crawlspaces.
- Outside coming in. What you'll notice: river or street water at the door, mud on the floor once it recedes, a water line on the walls. What it means: flood water carries silt and contamination, and anything porous it reached is handled differently from a clean-water leak. Why it needs a restoration company: flood cleanup is removal, cleaning and drying in a set order, with records for the insurer. Make the call: (253) 338-5837. More: flood damage cleanup.
Green River, White River
Auburn sits on a valley floor between two rivers, and both are held back by dams upstream. Most years that works. In heavy winter rain, both rivers can still come up into roads and neighborhoods.
| Green River | White River | |
|---|---|---|
| Dam upstream | Howard Hanson Dam | Mud Mountain Dam |
| Where it runs | Along the north and west side of Auburn, toward the valley north of the city | Through south Auburn toward Pacific and Sumner |
| Places near it | North Auburn, Lea Hill below the bluff, Black Diamond upstream | Pacific, Algona, Sumner, south Auburn |
| What high water looks like | Closed roads such as Green River Road, water across low streets near the river | Water against the levees; a levee failure in Pacific once flooded more than 200 homes |
| Where to check levels | King County's flood warning information and the City of Auburn | The City of Auburn, Pierce County and the City of Pacific |
The Army Corps of Engineers manages releases from both dams. A release in heavy rain can raise the river for a day or more after the rain itself eases. Read how the Green and White rivers reach Auburn homes, what dam releases mean for your house and what sandbags and barriers protect.
Valley House or Hill House?
Auburn's homes split by elevation, and so do the places water starts.
| Kind of house | Where water usually starts | What gets wet first |
|---|---|---|
| Older homes on the valley floor | Under the house, from groundwater, a supply line or river water | The crawlspace, its vapor barrier and insulation, then the subfloor |
| Split-levels on the plateaus | A daylight basement on the downhill side, or a lower-level bathroom | Carpet, laminate and the bottom of the drywall in the lower level |
| Two-story subdivisions on Lea Hill and Lakeland Hills | An upstairs bathroom or laundry room, a supply line behind a wall | The ceiling below, then the flooring in that room |
The Work, in Plain Terms
- Water mitigation: stopping the damage from getting worse. Find and stop the source, protect what's dry, and get the water moving out.
- Water extraction: pulling standing and soaked-in water out of carpet, pad, hardwood and concrete with pumps and extractors.
- Structural drying: air movers and dehumidifiers set up in a plan, with moisture readings until the framing and floors match dry areas of the house.
- Remediation: removing and cleaning what the water ruined, such as carpet pad, the bottom of drywall and insulation, so drying can reach the structure.
- Restoration and repair: drywall, flooring, trim and paint going back after the readings say dry.
Most jobs use all five. A single call covers the whole job. More: water damage restoration and mitigation.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
- which level of the house is wet, and whether it's more than one
- whether water is still coming in, and whether you found the shutoff
- whether any wet area is near outlets, the electrical panel or a gas appliance
- whether the house is on a crawlspace, a basement or a slab
- whether you own or rent, and who the insurer is, if you know
None of this has to be exact. It helps the company that takes the call plan what to bring.
Renting in Auburn
Federal Way, North Auburn and the valley floor have a lot of rentals. If you rent, tell the owner or property manager about any leak in writing and send photos. The owner arranges work on the building, and a renters policy, if you have one, usually covers your belongings. If you own the rental, the order is the same as for your own house: stop the water, get it out, dry it with readings, keep the records.
Two Counties, One Number
Auburn is mostly in King County, with Lakeland Hills and a strip of the south end in Pierce County. The towns around it split the same way. Federal Way, Black Diamond, Algona and Enumclaw are King County. Sumner, Bonney Lake, Lake Tapps, Edgewood and Puyallup are Pierce. Pacific and Milton straddle the county line. The county matters for river warnings and permits, not for the call. The same number works on both sides of the line, and the restoration companies that take Auburn jobs take jobs in all of these places.
Auburn and the Towns Around It
Auburn
- Downtown AuburnAuburn
- North AuburnAuburn
- Lea HillAuburn
- Lakeland HillsAuburn
- West HillAuburn
- Terminal ParkAuburn
- KerseyAuburn
Green
White
West
From the Library
Daylight Basements on Hillside Lots
Why the lower level of a hillside house takes the water.
What Water Damage Restoration Costs Depend On
The factors behind the bill, without prices.