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Alaska Soil Drainage Rankings

Alaska

How well does the soil drain across Alaska? We ranked every USDA survey area by the percentage of land classified as "well drained." Areas at the top of the list have soils where water moves through at a healthy rate — favorable for building, septic, and gardening. Areas at the bottom have more waterlogged or slowly-draining soils that may require engineered solutions.

The best-drained survey area is Chugach Mountains - Eagle River Area, Alaska at 100% well-drained soils. The most drainage-challenged is Lower Kenai Peninsula - Northern Chugach Islands Area, Alaska at 0%. 100% of the land in Lower Kenai Peninsula - Northern Chugach Islands Area, Alaska is poorly drained, so building, septic and gardening there often call for drainage work, engineered septic designs or raised beds.

stays wet (poorly drained)in between, or not ratedwell drained
#Survey AreaLand by drainageWell DrainedPoorly DrainedMost common class
1 Chugach Mountains - Eagle River Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
2 St. George Island Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
3 Aleutian Islands - Sanak Islands Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
4 Aleutian Islands - Unalaska and Andreanof Islands Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
5 Aleutian Islands - Semisopotchnoi Island Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
6 Aleutian Islands - Amchitka Island Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
7 Aleutian Islands - Little Simkin, Khvostof, Segula and Davidof Islands Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
8 Aleutian Islands - Kiska Island Area, Alaska 100% 0% Well drained
9 Alaska Range - Revelation Mountains and Stink River Area, Alaska 99% 0% Well drained
10 Skagway-Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska 98% 1% Well drained
11 Alaska Range - Tordrillo Mountains and Happy River Area, Alaska 95% 4% Well drained
12 Southern Wood-Tikchik Area, Alaska 95% 0% Well drained
13 Lower Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska 94% 1% Well drained
14 Kodiak Archipelago Area, Alaska 91% 6% Well drained
15 Togiak National Wildlife Refuge-Ahklun Mountains Area, Alaska 91% 8% Well drained
16 Seward Area, Alaska 90% 9% Well drained
17 Alaska Range - Parts Of Mentasta Mountains Area, Alaska 89% 10% Well drained
18 Ray Mountains and Bordering Area, Alaska 88% 11% Well drained
19 Chugach National Forest - Kenai Peninsula West Area, Alaska 87% 6% Well drained
20 Aleutian Mountains - Lake Clark Area, Alaska 87% 12% Well drained
21 Yukon Tanana Uplands West and Bordering Area, Alaska 87% 12% Well drained
22 Katmai National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 86% 13% Well drained
23 Aleutian Islands - Attu Island Area, Alaska 86% 13% Well drained
24 Saint Paul Island Area, Alaska 86% 4% Well drained
25 Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains - Cook Inlet Area, Alaska 84% 15% Well drained
26 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Brooks Range West Area, Alaska 81% 18% Well drained
27 Yukon Tanana Uplands East and Bordering Area, Alaska 81% 15% Well drained
28 Brooks Range - Gates Of The Arctic National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 80% 19% Well drained
29 Anchorage Area, Alaska 79% 18% Well drained
30 Haines Area, Alaska 77% 17% Well drained
31 Alaska Range - Nelchina Public Use Area, Alaska 77% 19% Well drained
32 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Brooks Range East Area, Alaska 74% 25% Well drained
33 North Ogilvie Mountains - Step Mountains Area, Alaska 73% 26% Well drained
34 Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve-Gustavus Area, Alaska 73% 21% Well drained
35 Brooks Range and Davidson Mountains Area, Alaska 72% 27% Well drained
36 Brooks Range and Ray Mountains Area, Alaska 72% 27% Well drained
37 Bristol Bay-Northern Alaska Peninsula, North and Bordering Areas, Alaska 72% 18% Well drained
38 Alaska Range - Granite Mountains Area, Alaska 71% 28% Well drained
39 Alaska Range - Clearwater Mountains and Susitna River Area, Alaska 71% 28% Well drained
40 Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 70% 29% Well drained
41 Stewart River Training Site, Alaska 67% 29% Well drained
42 Alaska Peninsula - Aniakchak and Unimak Area, Alaska 67% 16% Well drained
43 Parts Of Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 67% 27% Well drained
44 Greater Delta Area, Alaska 66% 21% Well drained
45 Western Ahklun Mountains Area, Alaska 66% 6% Well drained
46 Cantwell Area, Alaska 61% 36% Well drained
47 Reindeer and Iditarod Rivers Area, Alaska 61% 38% Well drained
48 St. Mathew Island Area, Alaska 61% 38% Well drained
49 Kuskokwim - Kilbuck Mountains Area, Alaska 59% 30% Well drained
50 Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Area, Alaska 59% 35% Well drained
51 Matanuska-Susitna Valley Area, Alaska 58% 39% Well drained
52 Western Kenai Peninsula Area, Alaska 58% 41% Well drained
53 Gerstle River Area, Alaska 58% 38% Well drained
54 North Copper River Area, Alaska 58% 38% Well drained
55 Yentna Area, Alaska 57% 38% Well drained
56 Western Interior Rivers Area, Alaska 57% 34% Well drained
57 Cape Krusenstern National Monument and Bordering Area, Alaska 56% 43% Well drained
58 Ray Mountains - Kokrines Hills and Yukon River Area, Alaska 55% 39% Well drained
59 Kobuk Ridges and Valleys - Alatna Hills and Bordering Area, Alaska 53% 46% Well drained
60 Alaska Peninsula - Iliamna and Bristol Bay Lowlands Area, Alaska 52% 46% Well drained
61 Brooks Range and Kobuk River - Nana Area, Alaska 52% 47% Well drained
62 Purcell Mountains, Pah River Flats and Koyukuk River Area, Alaska 51% 48% Well drained
63 Alaska Range - Brushkana Area, Alaska 49% 50% Poorly drained
64 White Mountains Area, Alaska 49% 49% Well drained
65 Yukon Flats Area, Alaska 47% 42% Well drained
66 Interior Rivers - Lime Hills and Kuskokwim Mountains Area, Alaska 47% 52% Well drained
67 Southern Baird Mountains and Kiana Hills Area, Alaska 47% 52% Well drained
68 Alaska Peninsula - Port Heiden and Port Moller Area, Alaska 45% 12% Well drained
69 North Ogilvie and Yukon - Old Crow Basin Area, Alaska 44% 55% Poorly drained
70 Copper River Area, Alaska 42% 53% Well drained
71 Southern Nulato Hills Area, Alaska 41% 57% Well drained
72 Nulato Hills Area, Alaska 41% 45% Poorly drained
73 Fort Greely and Donnelly Training Area, Alaska 40% 55% Poorly drained
74 Denali National Park and Preserve Area, Alaska 40% 54% Poorly drained
75 Yakutat Area, Alaska 39% 55% Well drained
76 Greater Fairbanks Area, Alaska 38% 42% Well drained
77 Ray Mountains and Yukon River Lowlands Area, Alaska 36% 29% Well drained
78 St. Lawrence Island Area, Alaska 36% 63% Very poorly drained
79 Upper Tanana Area, Alaska 35% 59% Very poorly drained
80 Greater Nenana Area, Alaska 34% 36% Well drained
81 North Star Area, Alaska 34% 65% Poorly drained
82 Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 33% 66% Poorly drained
83 Ray Mountains - Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge Northwest Area, Alaska 31% 68% Poorly drained
84 Tanana - Kuskokwim Lowlands - Snohomish and Trimokish Hills Area, Alaska 31% 68% Poorly drained
85 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Western Part Area, Alaska 30% 69% Very poorly drained
86 Kuskokwim - Kaiyuh Mountains Area, Alaska 29% 70% Poorly drained
87 Kuskokwim Mountains and Bordering Area, Alaska 29% 51% Poorly drained
88 De Long Mountains West and Noatak River Area, Alaska 29% 70% Poorly drained
89 Togiak National Wildlife Refuge - Southwestern Part and Bordering Area, Alaska 27% 28% Somewhat excessively drained
90 Totchaket Area, Alaska 27% 44% Very poorly drained
91 Yukon River Lowlands and Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, North Area, Alaska 27% 70% Poorly drained
92 Gulkana River Area, Alaska 25% 70% Poorly drained
93 Delta River Area, Alaska 25% 38% Somewhat excessively drained
94 Brooks Range - Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak Preserve Area, Alaska 24% 75% Poorly drained
95 Aleutian Islands - Agattu Island Area, Alaska 23% 76% Poorly drained
96 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Nunivak Island Refuge Area, Alaska 22% 77% Very poorly drained
97 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Davidson Mountains and Coleen River Area, Alaska 21% 78% Poorly drained
98 Ketchikan Area, Alaska 20% 68% Very poorly drained
99 Fort Wainwright Area, Alaska 19% 76% Very poorly drained
100 Kantishna Area, Alaska 18% 50% Somewhat excessively drained
101 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Yukon River Area, Alaska 18% 81% Very poorly drained
102 Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 17% 54% Poorly drained
103 Chugach National Forest - Kenai Peninsula East Area, Alaska 16% 75% Very poorly drained
104 Yukon River Lowlands - Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 14% 56% Poorly drained
105 Stikine Area, Alaska 14% 74% Very poorly drained
106 Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge - Tanana Kuskokwim Lowlands Area, Alaska 14% 78% Very poorly drained
107 Chatham Area, Alaska 12% 57% Very poorly drained
108 Seward Peninsula and Nulato Hills Area, Alaska 10% 86% Very poorly drained
109 Seward Peninsula - Kotzebue Sound and Kivalik River Area, Alaska 9% 86% Very poorly drained
110 National Petroleum Reserve - Brooks Foothills South Area, Alaska 8% 91% Somewhat poorly drained
111 Selawik National Wildlife Refuge Area, Alaska 8% 90% Very poorly drained
112 Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge - Kuskoskwim River Area, Alaska 7% 92% Very poorly drained
113 Brooks Range - Brooks Foothills - Lisburne Peninsula Area, Alaska 6% 93% Somewhat poorly drained
114 Brooks Range - Brooks Foothills Area, Alaska 5% 94% Somewhat poorly drained
115 Yukon River Lowlands and Innoko National Wildlife Refuge South Area, Alaska 3% 96% Poorly drained
116 Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska 2% 86% Poorly drained
117 Brooks Foothills - Killik, Chandler, and Anaktuvuk Rivers Area, Alaska 2% 97% Somewhat poorly drained
118 Brooks Foothills - Toolik River Area, Alaska 1% 98% Somewhat poorly drained
119 Tanana and Chatanika River Area, Alaska 0% 94% Very poorly drained
120 Kenai Peninsula - Kenai Fjords National Park and Bordering Area, Alaska 0% 99% Very poorly drained
121 Tatlanika and Wood River Area, Alaska 0% 99% Poorly drained
122 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Beaufort Coastal Plain Area, Alaska 0% 99% Poorly drained
123 Chugach National Forest - Prince William Sound Area, Alaska 0% 99% Very poorly drained
124 Robinson Mountains and Gulf of Alaska Coast Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained
125 Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and Shishmarev Area, Alaska 0% 95% Very poorly drained
126 National Petroleum Reserve - Beaufort Coastal Plain Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained
127 National Petroleum Reserve - Brooks Foothills North Area, Alaska 0% 100% Somewhat poorly drained
128 Beaufort Coastal Plain - Deadhorse Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained
129 White Hills - Kuparuk River Area, Alaska 0% 100% Somewhat poorly drained
130 Kenai Mountains and Kachemak Bay State Park Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained
131 Boundary Range - Chilkat River Area, Alaska 0% 0% Moderately well drained
132 Chugach St. Elias and Boundary Ranges - Coastal Rainforest Area, Alaska 0% 67% Very poorly drained
133 Tongass National Forest - Klukwah and Takshanuk Mountains Area, Alaska 0% 15% Moderately well drained
134 Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained
135 Barren Islands Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained
136 Middleton Island Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained
137 Lower Kenai Peninsula - Northern Chugach Islands Area, Alaska 0% 100% Very poorly drained

See also: national drainage rankings | Alaska gardening soil rankings | all Alaska survey areas