Kansas / Cherokee County
Score 57 · elevated · #2 of 105 in KS
Crawl space moisture in Cherokee County, KS
78% of Cherokee County's mapped soil is somewhat poorly to very poorly drained, which means ground that stays wet near the surface for significant periods. Where a seasonal water table is reported — 82% of acres — it averages 1.4 ft below grade, shallow enough to reach a typical crawl-space footing.
- 1Water table 1.4 ft
- 2Wet soils 78%
- 3Moisture score 57
- 4EPA radon zone 2
Reading the Cherokee County soil survey
The score of 57 combines four parts, each from the USDA survey: wet drainage classes contribute 55 points of 100 on their own scale, group D soils 68, a shallow water table 64.4, and flooding 14.2; the weights are on the methodology page. The dominant hydrologic group is D (41% of acres): very slow infiltration, high runoff (clays, high water table).
A water table under two feet is the single most important number here. A crawl-space floor is usually 18 to 36 inches below the joists and often below outside grade, so in a wet season groundwater can stand at or above the crawl-space floor across much of Cherokee County. Venting cannot fix that; it needs drainage — a perimeter drain to daylight or a sump — before any liner goes down.
Cherokee County against the rest of Kansas
Cherokee County ranks 2 of 105 Kansas counties, 44 points above the state median of 13. Only 1 other county in the state score higher. Statewide, 8% of mapped soil is in the wet drainage classes; here it is 78%, half again the state figure or more. After somewhat poorly drained, the next most common class is well drained at 14%.
Flooding. 5.8% of acres with a flooding class are rated frequent; 13.9% of acres with a flooding class are rated occasional; 0.3% of acres with a flooding class are rated rare. That is a large flood-prone share; a crawl space in the floodplain needs flood vents under most local floodplain ordinances, which is a separate rule from R408 and can rule out a fully sealed design. Ponding — water standing at the surface with nowhere to go — affects 2.6% of acres.
What it means for a crawl space here
In an elevated county the soil supplies more moisture than average, but a vented crawl space can work if the ground is covered: the code lets vent area drop from 1 sq ft per 150 to 1 per 1500 with a Class I vapor retarder on the ground, which is an admission of how much moisture comes from below. Grading, gutters and a ground cover usually decide whether a crawl space here stays dry before any decision about sealing it.
Radon. EPA radon zone 2. The zone is a county-level prediction; EPA says elevated levels occur in every zone and every home should be tested.
Near Cherokee County by score
Sources: USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access (muaggatt: drclassdcd, hydgrpdcd, flodfreqdcd, pondfreqprs, wtdepannmin), acreage-weighted (survey area KS021; drainage covers 98% of 378,675 mapped acres); EPA Map of Radon Zones, county table (June 2024 JSON); IRC R408.3 Unvented crawl space, as adopted in S.C. Code Regs. 8-1221 (LII). Checked 2026-10-23.