Elk County, KS Shrink-Swell Risk

Elk County, KS's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Elk County, KS: USDA's soil survey rates 49.2% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.81% 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 Elk County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Elk 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 Elk County.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Elk County, KS 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, Elk County, KS is the 158-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Kansas alone it ranks 23 of 105. Elk County covers 644 square miles and counts 2,436 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Shelby County, TX and Indiana County, PA 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 Kansas

Every county in Kansas is on this site, including Leavenworth County, KS and Dickinson County, KS. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.