Basement Waterproofing in Summit Township, PA

Summit Township is south of the city of Erie and Millcreek Township, away from the lake. Many people know it for the Upper Peach Street shopping corridor near I-90, but much of the township is residential neighborhoods, subdivisions and open rural land. I-90 and I-79 both pass through it.

As the name suggests, Summit sits on higher ground than the lake plain to the north. The land rises from Lake Erie in a series of ridges, and Summit is on the upper part of that rise, with rolling terrain and small streams. Higher ground does not guarantee a dry basement. Much of the soil in Erie County is dense, clay-rich glacial till that drains slowly. Rain and snowmelt sit in the soil around a foundation, and on rolling lots, water from uphill flows toward homes on the downhill side.

Summit has many homes built in subdivisions over the past few decades, often with poured concrete foundations, alongside older homes on rural lots. Newer construction brings its own issues: settling backfill, builder-grade sump pumps and grading that changes as landscaping matures. Older rural homes are more likely to have block walls and drainage that was never upgraded.