Short answer
Pendleton's housing is newer than most of the Anderson area, with a median year built of 1990 (Census ACS), but it sits on wet till: the soil survey estimates a seasonal water table within about a foot of the surface under 72% of sampled land, and 80% is rated very limited for basements (USDA NRCS). Newer basements here depend on footing drains and a sump that keep working.
Pendleton is one of the area’s fastest-changing towns, with more new homes than most of its neighbors. A newer house usually starts life with a plastic footing drain, a sump pit and a pump. On Pendleton’s ground, that system isn’t optional equipment. It’s what keeps the floor dry, and it’s what to check first when water shows up.
Pendleton in numbers
- 1990: median year homes were built (20% before 1940, 44% before 1980)
- 80% of sampled land rated very limited for basements
- 72% somewhat poorly to very poorly drained
- 72% with an estimated seasonal water table within about a foot, 78% within 3 feet
- 42.1 inches of precipitation a year at the nearest NOAA station
| Main soils in our sample | Share of points |
|---|---|
| Crosby silt loam, fine-loamy subsoil, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 28% |
| Cyclone silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 26% |
| Fox silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 4% |
| Mahalasville silty clay loam, limestone substratum | 4% |
| Rodman soils, 12 to 50 percent slopes, eroded | 4% |
Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Soil figures are USDA NRCS soil-survey estimates for 50 random points inside Pendleton’s Census boundary; they describe mapped areas, not any single lot, and “very limited” is a building-suitability rating, not proof that basements leak. Rainfall: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, Lapel 4 S station, about 4 miles away. Methods: data and methods.
The ground
Crosby silt loam (28% of sampled points) and Cyclone silt loam (26%) dominate, both on flat glacial till. Crosby is somewhat poorly drained and Cyclone is poorly drained, which together explain why 70% of sampled land falls in the poorly drained classes and the soil survey estimates a seasonal water table within about a foot under 72% of it. Only about 18% of sampled land is well drained.
The houses
The median Pendleton home was built in 1990, and only 44% were built before 1980 (Census ACS). About 74% are owner-occupied. Most newer basements are poured concrete with plastic footing drains feeding a sump, which is a good start on wet till, as long as the drains stay clear and the pump keeps up.
What tends to go wrong
- A sump pump that runs constantly in spring, then fails after a few hard years. See sump pump running constantly.
- Seepage at the floor-wall joint when footing drains clog or the pump can’t keep up.
- Shrinkage cracks in poured walls that leak in wet seasons. See crack repair.
- Water at corners where downspouts empty onto flat lawns.
The local angle
If your Pendleton house is less than 20 years old and the basement has started to leak, start with the system that’s already there. Check whether water reaches the sump pit at all during a wet week, whether the pump empties it and shuts off, and where the discharge ends outside. A pit that stays dry while the floor edge is wet points to a clogged or disconnected footing drain, which is often fixable without a whole new system.
What usually fixes it
Keep the pump healthy first: a correctly sized replacement, a new check valve and a battery backup. If water still comes in at the walls, have the footing drain checked; where it can’t be restored, interior drain tile replaces it. Downspouts and grading reduce the load on everything else.
Guides to each fix: interior drain tile, sump pumps, battery backups, crack repair, bowing walls, exterior waterproofing, yard drainage. Prices are on the cost page.
Compare nearby
Anderson, Ingalls, Lapel, Fortville. For the bigger picture, read why Anderson basements leak.
Not sure what you’re dealing with? Start with the symptom you’re seeing.