Saguache County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 4% of Saguache County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 15%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 73% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 41% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Saguache County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 4.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.0% |
| Mapped soil | 1,484,024 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Goosepeak | 5% | n/a |
| Seitz | 5% | n/a |
| Hooper | 3% | n/a |
| San Luis | 3% | n/a |
| Cotopaxi | 3% | n/a |
| Space City | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO633 (2025-08-29), CO634 (2025-08-29), CO662 (2025-09-02), CO663 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 12.71 in, 3.12 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 15.83 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 15% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Saguache County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% 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 October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 98.4% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 15.83 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 12.71 in (-3.12) |
| 2025 | 15.47 in (-0.36) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 26.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2002: 9.15 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DEL NORTE 3ENE (24 mi away) | 0.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,902 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 41% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $212,600 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande County, CO | 40 mi | under 1% | 42% |
| Alamosa County, CO | 40 mi | 2% | 36% |
| Custer County, CO | 47 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Chaffee County, CO | 49 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Mineral County, CO | 50 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Fremont County, CO | 53 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Conejos County, CO | 57 mi | under 1% | 28% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 62 mi | under 1% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status