Harding County, NM's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

In Harding County, NM, 61.6% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. That reading means a conventional system is a poor bet here - 61.6% of Harding County lands in the strictest "very limited" bucket USDA uses. Harding County covers 2,125.478 square miles and counts 635 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Two lots a mile apart in Harding County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide rating. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Harding County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Harding 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.

How Harding County, NM compares

Nationally, Harding County, NM is the 2,693-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within New Mexico alone it ranks 19 of 29.

Before you act on this

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