La Plata County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 10% of La Plata County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 69.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 72.8% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 30 flood losses here since 2016, 12% of them in buildings with basements. 32% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under La Plata County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 9.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 11.2% |
| Mapped soil | 1,052,297 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Witt | 5% | n/a |
| Zyme | 4% | n/a |
| Needleton | 3% | n/a |
| Scotch | 3% | n/a |
| Graysill | 3% | n/a |
| Snowdon | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO669 (2025-08-29), CO670 (2025-08-29), CO672 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.07 in, 1.50 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.57 in.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 10% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of La Plata County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
69.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 69.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 5.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
30 flood losses since 2016, $772,448 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 20. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 12% basements, 15% slabs, 65% crawl spaces, 8% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 7 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.57 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.07 in (-1.50) |
| 2025 | 18.82 in (-2.75) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 41.02 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2020: 12.25 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LEMON DAM (12 mi away) | 4.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 28,990 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 32% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $591,500 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan County, CO | 36 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Montezuma County, CO | 41 mi | 13% | 2% |
| Archuleta County, CO | 44 mi | 53% | 3% |
| Dolores County, CO | 48 mi | 12% | 2% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 49 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Mineral County, CO | 53 mi | 1% | 5% |
| San Juan County, NM | 58 mi | 5% | 2% |
| San Miguel County, CO | 59 mi | 3% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status