I'm no drainage expert, especially when it comes to crawl space issues, but as saturated as the ground is right now, that looks about right. Generally there is a plastic vapor barrier over the top of the soil to protect from dampness migrating up into the house under very wet conditions like we have now......I assume that's what the black is?? If so, make it sure it is covering the bulk of the floor.

Sump pumps take on various appearances but that one looks not too dissimilar from mine, although mine is a portable unit and only in place when I need, like now. And yes, they are triggered into action when the water hits a certain level, generally by a float kinda like the one in the toilet.

My sump pump's been working overtime today :-(( I posted about my flooded basement in the thread on snow. It's an old house with a funky, not fully excavated basement and the only other time it has ever flooded in the 24 years I've lived here is when we had a similar combination of weather factors.

Is your place on a hill?

Because if the ground is level, water should not be accumulating.

Unless, of course, the foundation is somewhat submerged.

Water can also come in through old mole holes and stuff.

Thanks for the responses, guys ...

Gardengal48, i'm so sorry to hear you've been struggling with a portable pump, but i guess that's all you need given how infrequently you flood ... still, it must have been exhausting, and a little bit scary ... at least the weather's on your side today, and knock wood, it will remain so ...

My sump pump actually kicked on in the middle of the night, so i now know it's working, having actually heard it in operation ... i imagine i'd have had quite the flood in that crawl were it not for the pump ... i'll make sure all the black vapor plastic is tucked neatly against the walls ...

Mdvaden, yes, the house is on the middle of a slope, and i guess i still have some work to do to "fine tune" the drainage issues ... I've had a few inspectors and the like tell me it's fine, it's not uncommon, etc., but in spite of those assurances, i can't convince myself to feel comfortable with so much moisture around that foundation ... the "fixes" are pretty expensive, though, so i'm having to do a little at a time ...

Thanks again for the feedback!

take a look at ATMOX Crawl space systems. One they dry out the crawl and not cover it up, two it cost less , and Three you can install it yourself. It worked for our home.
www.atmox.com

Interestingly, we have had absolutely NO rain during April on Southern Vancouver Island. But today, it is raining and we really need it. Sorry to hear of your flooding problems.