Douglas County, SD's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

In Douglas County, SD, 96.9% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 96.9% of Douglas County's land. Douglas County, SD is 431.801 square miles with a population of 2,849.

What Douglas County's reading doesn't cover

Nothing about Douglas County, SD's SSURGO figure applies to a specific address - it's a county-wide average. A local percolation test, typically $750-$1,850 (around $1,300 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Douglas County will actually do.

What a system would cost here

With 96.9% of Douglas County rating "Very limited", a standard gravity system is not a safe assumption here. 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.

How Douglas County, SD compares

Nationally, Douglas County, SD is the 394-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within South Dakota alone it ranks 3 of 66.

Before you act on this

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