Montezuma County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 13% of Montezuma County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 99.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 14 flood losses here since 2016. 41% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.
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 Montezuma County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 13.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 14.3% |
| Mapped soil | 1,305,545 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Wetherill | 7% | n/a |
| Romberg | 5% | n/a |
| Crosscan | 4% | n/a |
| Wauquie | 2% | n/a |
| Sideshow | 2% | n/a |
| Pulpit | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO670 (2025-08-29), CO671 (2025-08-29), CO672 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 12.98 in, 2.95 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 15.93 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 13% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Montezuma County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
99.8% 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 | 99.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 89.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
14 flood losses since 2016, $745 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 10.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 15.93 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 12.98 in (-2.95) |
| 2025 | 13.09 in (-2.84) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 32.09 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2020: 8.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CORTEZ (0 mi away) | 0.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,375 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 41% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $331,400 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores County, CO | 28 mi | 12% | 2% |
| La Plata County, CO | 41 mi | 10% | 3% |
| San Miguel County, CO | 47 mi | 3% | 1% |
| San Juan County, NM | 57 mi | 5% | 2% |
| San Juan County, CO | 59 mi | 0% | 1% |
| San Juan County, UT | 68 mi | 3% | 1% |
| Ouray County, CO | 72 mi | 19% | 6% |
| Montrose County, CO | 76 mi | 22% | 5% |
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