What De Baca County, NM's soil rates for a septic system

Very limited

Soil across 56.8% of De Baca County, NM rates "Very limited" in USDA's septic-absorption-field interpretation. Practically, that rules out a simple gravity system for most of the county - 56.8% of it sits in USDA's most-constrained bucket. De Baca County covers 2,323.107 square miles and counts 1,657 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in De Baca County, NM - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in De Baca County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given De Baca County's rating, plan for the engineered-system range rather than the conventional one. The engineered-system range, $10,000-$40,000 (mound or aerobic treatment), is the more realistic number to plan around, against $3,000-$8,000 for a conventional system on the rare lot that passes.

De Baca County's rank among New Mexico counties

Nationally, De Baca County, NM is the 2,788-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within New Mexico alone it ranks 23 of 29.

Further reading

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