Bristol Bay Borough, AK Shrink-Swell Risk

Bristol Bay Borough, AK's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Bristol Bay Borough, AK: USDA's soil survey rates 100% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.1% linear extensibility). Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

What Bristol Bay Borough's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Bristol Bay Borough can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Bristol Bay Borough, AK rating "Low", a geotechnical report is still worthwhile before a build, just less urgent than in a high-risk county. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000, typically around $2,700. Foundation repair, if a specific lot turns out to differ from the county average, runs $5,000-$15,000.

Bristol Bay Borough's rank among Alaska counties

Nationally, Bristol Bay Borough, AK is the 2,850-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Alaska alone it ranks 5 of 11. Bristol Bay Borough covers 481 square miles and counts 884 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Marshall County, MN and Waushara County, WI are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · Moisture management: the cheap fix that works on any soil

More of Alaska

Every county in Alaska is on this site, including Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK and Sitka City and Borough, AK. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.