Missouri / Clark County
Score 56 · elevated · #23 of 113 in MO
Crawl space moisture in Clark County, MO
64% of Clark 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 — 79% of acres — it averages 1.6 ft below grade, shallow enough to reach a typical crawl-space footing.
- 1Water table 1.6 ft
- 2Wet soils 64%
- 3Moisture score 56
- 4EPA radon zone 2
Reading the Clark County soil survey
The score of 56 combines four parts, each from the USDA survey: wet drainage classes contribute 55.4 points of 100 on their own scale, group D soils 67.3, a shallow water table 59.5, and flooding 17.5; the weights are on the methodology page. The dominant hydrologic group is D (48% 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 Clark County. Venting cannot fix that; it needs drainage — a perimeter drain to daylight or a sump — before any liner goes down.
Clark County against the rest of Missouri
Clark County ranks 23 of 113 Missouri counties, 17 points above the state median of 39. That puts it in the wettest quarter of the state. Statewide, 32% of mapped soil is in the wet drainage classes; here it is 64%, half again the state figure or more. After somewhat poorly drained, the next most common class is poorly drained at 22%.
Flooding. 8.2% of acres with a flooding class are rated frequent; 14.8% of acres with a flooding class are rated occasional; 1.8% 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.
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 Clark County by score
Sources: USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access (muaggatt: drclassdcd, hydgrpdcd, flodfreqdcd, pondfreqprs, wtdepannmin), acreage-weighted (survey area MO045; drainage covers 100% of 327,911 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.