Columbia County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 7% of Columbia County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 12%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 24.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 95 flood losses here since 2016, 6% of them in buildings with basements. 18% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1999.
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 Columbia County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 29.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.9% |
| Mapped soil | 197,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Wedowee | 19% | n/a |
| Cecil | 19% | 0% |
| Appling | 10% | 0% |
| Wagram | 7% | n/a |
| Georgeville | 6% | 0% |
| Helena | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA628 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 27.31 in, 17.98 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.29 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 12% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Columbia County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
24.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 55.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 24.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
95 flood losses since 2016, $1.7 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 36. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 6% basements, 30% slabs, 44% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 15 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 20 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 19 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 36 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 6 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.29 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 27.31 in (-17.98) |
| 2025 | 39.18 in (-6.11) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1929: 76.98 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 28.52 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at AUGUSTA BUSH FLD AP (21 mi away) | 12.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 61,668 |
| Median year built | 1999 |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 48% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $305,300 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDuffie County, GA | 14 mi | 2% | 13% |
| Richmond County, GA | 17 mi | 1% | 26% |
| Lincoln County, GA | 20 mi | 8% | 10% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 23 mi | 3% | 18% |
| McCormick County, SC | 24 mi | 9% | 19% |
| Warren County, GA | 26 mi | 3% | 12% |
| Glascock County, GA | 30 mi | under 1% | 30% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 33 mi | 6% | 10% |
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