Vermont Soil Drainage Rankings
How well does the soil drain across Vermont? 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 Bennington County, Vermont at 65% well-drained soils. The most drainage-challenged is Grand Isle County, Vermont at 7%. 53% of the land in Grand Isle County, Vermont 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 Area | Land by drainage | Well Drained | Poorly Drained | Most common class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bennington County, Vermont | 65% | 7% | Well drained | |
| 2 | Windham County, Vermont | 64% | 14% | Well drained | |
| 3 | Lamoille County, Vermont | 59% | 8% | Well drained | |
| 4 | Orange County, Vermont | 57% | 14% | Well drained | |
| 5 | Windsor County, Vermont | 56% | 3% | Well drained | |
| 6 | Washington County, Vermont | 54% | 19% | Well drained | |
| 7 | Caledonia County, Vermont | 51% | 25% | Well drained | |
| 8 | Rutland County, Vermont | 42% | 9% | Well drained | |
| 9 | Orleans County, Vermont | 38% | 36% | Well drained | |
| 10 | Addison County, Vermont | 36% | 20% | Well drained | |
| 11 | Essex County, Vermont | 24% | 49% | Poorly drained | |
| 12 | Chittenden County, Vermont | 15% | 19% | Somewhat excessively drained | |
| 13 | Franklin County, Vermont | 13% | 37% | Moderately well drained | |
| 14 | Grand Isle County, Vermont | 7% | 53% | Poorly drained |