Four Mile Run can turn from a quiet suburban stream into a torrent faster than most people can move a car. During the July 2019 storm, later described as roughly a 150-year event, the run rose about 11 feet within an hour. Arlington packs 26 square miles of steep stream valleys, older garden apartments, single-family streets and glass towers onto the fall line above the Potomac, and that mix shapes how water gets into buildings here.
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Four Mile Run, Pimmit Run and the Fall Line
The county sits where the Piedmont's rolling hills drop toward the flat coastal plain. Runoff collects quickly in short, steep valleys and heads for the Potomac through Four Mile Run, Pimmit Run and a web of smaller branches such as Lubber Run, Long Branch and Doctors Run. Ground near Minor's Hill rises to about 451 feet, while land along the river sits close to tide level, so a single cloudburst can move a lot of water downhill in very little time.
Four Mile Run spilled over its banks during Hurricane Agnes in June 1972. Afterward the Army Corps of Engineers channelized stretches of it and lined the banks with riprap. That work reduced some riverine risk, but the 2019 storm showed that short, intense rain can still overwhelm storm drains and send water into homes far from any mapped floodplain. Annual precipitation averages close to 42 inches, and summer thunderstorms deliver a large share of it in bursts.
Garden Apartments, Bungalows and Towers: Different Leaks, Different Fixes
Single-family homes cover about three-quarters of Arlington's land, many with finished basements that sit below the grade of the street. When a storm drain backs up or a window well fills, those basements take the first hit. Carpet pad, drywall and built-in shelving soak up water fast, and wall cavities stay wet long after the surface looks dry.
Garden apartment complexes went up in large numbers from the New Deal era through the postwar years. In these low-rise buildings, a failed supply line or water heater on an upper floor commonly leaks through ceilings into the unit below. Along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and in Pentagon City, high-rises add sprinkler discharges, riser failures and HVAC condensate overflows to the list. In any multi-unit building, the association's policy usually covers common elements while the owner's HO-6 policy covers the unit's interior finishes, so check the governing documents and notify management early.
Isabel's Lesson for Low Ground Near the Potomac
Hurricane Isabel in September 2003 was a reminder that the Potomac shoreline is not immune to surge. In Arlington, flooding and fallen trees destroyed two houses and damaged 192 homes, 46 of them severely, and surge water covered a parking lot at Reagan National Airport. Damage in the county ran to about $2.5 million.
Wind-driven damage often travels with the water. Large trees in older neighborhoods can open a roof in seconds, and rain then follows the framing into attics and ceilings. For roof or tree damage combined with interior water, ask for storm damage cleanup that includes temporary tarping and an interior moisture check, not only debris removal.
The First Day After a Flash Flood in Arlington
- Stay out of a basement with standing water until power to that level is off.
- Photograph the water line on walls, furniture and appliances before anything is moved.
- Find out whether the water came from outside (surface or stream water) or from a sewer backup. Insurers treat these differently, and sewage contamination changes how materials must be handled.
- Pull rugs, cardboard and paper goods off wet floors so they stop wicking water.
- Call your insurer, then a restoration provider for water extraction and moisture mapping.
A crew will typically remove standing water, cut out saturated drywall and pad, and set dehumidifiers and air movers. Readings from a moisture meter, not appearance, should decide when the drying equipment comes out.
Humid Summers and Hidden Mold Below Grade
Arlington's summers are hot and sticky, and basements here can hold moisture for weeks after a leak. Mold tends to show up behind baseboards, under vinyl plank flooring and on the back of drywall where nobody looks. If a lower level smells musty after a storm, have the wall cavities checked before repainting or recarpeting. Prompt drying is the cheapest way to avoid mold remediation later, and running a dehumidifier through July and August helps keep below-grade rooms in a safe range.
Neighborhoods and Nearby Communities
Calls come in from across Arlington, including:
- Rosslyn
- Ballston
- Clarendon
- Pentagon City
- Cherrydale
- Hall's Hill
- Shirlington
- Glencarlyn
The same line also serves nearby communities such as:
Questions From Arlington Property Owners
My Arlington home isn't in a mapped floodplain. Can it still flood?
Yes. Much of the damage in recent storms came from rain that fell faster than storm drains could carry it, not from streams leaving their banks. Basements, window wells and low driveways collect that runoff. Standard homeowners policies generally exclude surface flooding, so ask your agent about flood coverage and a separate sewer backup endorsement even if your property sits outside the FEMA floodplain.
Who pays when water from the unit above leaks into my condo?
It depends on the source and your association's documents. Leaks from a common pipe or riser are often the association's responsibility, while damage starting in another owner's unit may fall to that owner's insurer. Your own HO-6 policy usually covers your interior finishes. Report the leak to building management right away and document everything before cleanup starts.
How do I know if water in my basement is sewage?
Water that comes up through a floor drain or toilet during a heavy storm, or that smells foul, should be treated as contaminated. That category of water calls for protective gear, disposal of porous materials it touched, and disinfection. A restoration provider can assess it and handle sewage cleanup safely, which is not a job for a shop vacuum and household bleach.
Where can I check flood risk for an Arlington address?
FEMA's Flood Map Service Center shows the official flood maps for the county, and Virginia's Flood Risk Information System offers an easier map view. Both show mapped stream floodplains but not every spot where storm drains back up, so local knowledge of past basement flooding on your street matters too.