Edgar County, IL Shrink-Swell Risk

Edgar County, IL's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Edgar County, IL: USDA's soil survey rates 87.9% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (3.73% 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 Edgar County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Edgar County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. 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 Edgar County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Edgar County, IL rating "Moderate", 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Edgar County, IL is the 711-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Illinois alone it ranks 43 of 101. Edgar County covers 623 square miles and counts 16,398 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Wabash County, IN and Aroostook County, ME 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 Illinois

Every county in Illinois is on this site, including Johnson County, IL and Carroll County, IL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.