Jo Daviess County, IL's soil, for a septic absorption field

Very limited

In Jo Daviess County, IL, 77% of the surveyed land carries a "Very limited" rating for a standard septic drain field. Expect the ground itself to work against a plain gravity system; USDA's strictest bucket alone covers 77% of the county. Jo Daviess County covers 600.924 square miles and counts 21,528 residents.

This is a county figure, not a parcel figure

Nothing about Jo Daviess County, IL's SSURGO figure applies to a specific address - it's a county-wide average. A site-specific perc test, usually $750-$1,850, is what a health department will actually require before permitting a lot in Jo Daviess County.

System cost, conventional vs. engineered

Given Jo Daviess 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.

Jo Daviess County's rank among Illinois counties

Nationally, Jo Daviess County, IL is the 2,175-most-constrained of 3,058 rated counties for septic soil. Within Illinois alone it ranks 69 of 101.

Before you act on this

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