Septic companies in Durham, NC

What the ground in Durham is like

The USDA soil survey rates mapped ground in Durham for septic drain-field suitability across roughly 120 square miles. About 84% of the rated ground is classed "Very limited", meaning the soil has one or more features unfavorable for a conventional drain field, and the limits generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design or expensive installation.

In Durham, the leading limit is slow water movement: effluent does not drain through the soil fast enough, so a conventional field can back up or pond when the ground cannot keep pace. The survey flags that limit on about 94% of the rated ground here.

The limiting features the survey records most often here:

• Slow water movement94.3%
• Depth to saturated zone78.0%
• Depth to bedrock68.8%
• Slope18.3%

This is survey data for mapped areas, not a substitute for a site evaluation on your own lot. Conditions on a single parcel can differ from the map.

USDA NRCS SSURGO, ENG Septic Tank Absorption Fields · 84% Very limited · Slow water movement · 82 map units · 119.98 sq mi · read 2026-08-30