Your sump crock is lower than all of these, which by gravity draws the water into it and out through the pump.

This is because the entire area where the discoloration is was soaked, and gravity took the upper water down.

In other words, the area has developed enough gravity to produce local jobs. 

If gravity makes that impossible.

They can ignore gravity but it won't ignore them.

You probably have a gravity system and it is pretty simple. 

To get rid of ground water, you can either provide a gravity drain to daylight, if it is possible and will drain, or you put in a sump pump.

I just want a nice way to illustrate the gravity of the situation.

Of course they are (and Gravity is the leading cause of airplane crashes too).But adding a few days to the process isn't going to solve that.Homelessness is caused by people not having a "Safety Net" in their personal lives, and by having borderline or no income.And by Section 8 not taking care of them in a timely manner, or at all.

I have a 4 unit (all 1 BR) that has a 1940's era "gravity hot water" boiler.