We are remodleing a basement bathroom that some previous owner installed. Breaking out the concrete patch in order to move pipes. This is about 3 feet below grade, and 10 feet in from the closest outside wall. The first surprise is that the soil is damp. Not wet, but damp. I kind of expected it to be very dry. the second surprise is tree roots! The closest tree is about 20 feet away, but its roots are here. So I am alarmed but I am unsure about what. Should it be damp there? Should I be looking for a leak? It just smells of earth. If there is a leak, I assume that fixing it will cause the tree to lose interest. If no leak, is there anything I can do short of cutting down the tree? If the pipes are not leaking, I guess I would be in the wrong forum