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Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut

A shallow water table limits basements on 38% of Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region's mapped land, a higher share than 57% of US counties and the 4th highest of 9 Connecticut counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. 65% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1969.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

38%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

65%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)38.2%
Septic fields very limited75.9%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)0.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Urban land, not rated1.8%
Mapped soil436,412 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Charlton13%n/a
Woodbridge8%n/a
Canton8%n/a
Chatfield7%n/a
Sutton5%n/a
Hinckley5%n/a
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region: 38%Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region: 52%Washington County: 38%Kent County: 34%Capitol Planning Region: 40%Providence County: 42%South Central Connecticut Planning Region: 23%Newport County: 66%Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region Lower Connecticut River ValleyNortheastern ConnecticutWashingtonKentCapitolProvidenceSouth Central ConnecticutNewportSoutheastern Connecticut
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

On 38% of Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 20 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the July 14, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood and rain records

FEMA's flood data and NOAA's county rainfall series still report Connecticut by its 8 former counties, which don't line up with the 9 planning regions that replaced them in 2022. This page leaves those numbers out rather than guess at a split.

Homes

Housing units126,425
Median year built1969
Built before 198065%
Built 2000 or later15%
Owner-occupied65%
Median value, owner-occupied$323,400
Single-family detached61%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT 21 mi under 1% 38%
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT 26 mi 0% 52%
Washington County, RI 26 mi 0% 38%
Kent County, RI 30 mi 0% 34%
Capitol Planning Region, CT 34 mi under 1% 40%
Providence County, RI 38 mi 0% 42%
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 40 mi 0% 23%
Newport County, RI 42 mi 0% 66%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status