Ashley County's SSURGO septic rating

Very limited

Ashley County, AR: USDA's soil survey calls 87.5% of the county "Very limited" for a septic leach field. A standard gravity system routinely fails on ground like this; the same share of the county falls in USDA's worst absorption-field bucket outright. The county spans 925.492 square miles, home to 17,984 people.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

USDA's survey covers the whole of Ashley County, AR at once, not any single address. Budget $750-$1,850 for a real perc test on any specific parcel - that's the only figure a permit application accepts.

Ashley County: conventional vs. engineered cost

87.5% of Ashley County carrying a "Very limited" reading changes the realistic budget here. Conventional systems run $3,000-$8,000 where they pass; where they don't, engineered alternatives (mound or aerobic treatment, whichever the health department requires) run $10,000-$40,000 - budget toward the higher figure until a perc test says otherwise.

Ashley County's rank among Arkansas counties

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Ashley County, AR ranks 1,507 most-constrained nationally, and 56 of 75 within Arkansas.

Before you act on this

How this rating is built, and its real limits · Conventional vs. engineered septic systems