Brule County, SD Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Brule County, SD

Moderate

Soil across 44% of Brule County, SD comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 5.7% linear extensibility. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Brule County, SD - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in Brule County.

Brule County: the real numbers

Brule County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. 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.

How Brule County, SD compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Brule County, SD ranks 184 most-constrained nationally, and 14 of 66 within South Dakota. Brule County covers 817 square miles and counts 5,261 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Marshall County, AL and Leon County, TX 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

Elsewhere in South Dakota

Every county in South Dakota is on this site, including Beadle County, SD and Campbell County, SD. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.