Putnam County's SSURGO septic rating

Very limited

Putnam County, MO: USDA's soil survey calls 99.3% of the county "Very limited" for a septic leach field. This is the reading that pushes a project toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and it covers 99.3% of Putnam County's land. For scale: 517.319 square miles and 4,539 people call Putnam County home.

Before you rely on this for one lot

Nothing about Putnam County, MO's SSURGO figure applies to a specific address - it's a county-wide average. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific perc test, running about $750-$1,850 (typically near $1,300).

Budgeting for a system in Putnam County, MO

Putnam County's soil reading pushes the likely outcome toward an engineered system rather than a conventional one. 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.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Putnam County, MO ranks 56 most-constrained nationally, and 10 of 114 within Missouri.

Before you act on this

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