Oak Ridge, Tennessee: what the ground under the city is like
Oak Ridge sits in Anderson County, on blue ridge mountains. The soil mapped here is predominantly classified well drained — and that classification, not the rainfall total, is what decides how a basement behaves.
13% of the mapped soil area around Oak Ridge is wet enough that the USDA describes it as needing artificial drainage.
Linear extensibility 3.1% — moderate.
Shallowest annual water table around 195 cm (6.4 ft).
Values are for Anderson County, which is what the soil survey resolves to. Full county report · soil map for a specific address.
The ground under Oak Ridge
Blue Ridge Mountains. Deep colluvium and saprolite on steep slopes, boulders in the soil mass
Steep ground with deep weathering. Volume change is low, but slope stability is not: colluvium on a mountainside can creep, and debris flows during hurricane rainfall are a documented hazard. A house benched into a slope collects water behind its uphill wall.
When it shows up here
| Water | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground movement | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Water peaks in April and May with the spring rains. The dry late summer is when soil movement shows up instead, so the two problems take turns.
Climate pattern for this physiographic region, not a forecast for your house and not from the soil survey. It answers a question homeowners actually ask: when does this show up.
What repairs cost in Tennessee
| Reference job | Modelled range |
|---|---|
| Interior drain along two walls + sump pump | $4,600–$9,850 |
| Exterior excavation of one 40 ft wall | $3,450–$9,850 |
| Underpinning on 10 piers | $13,650–$29,100 |
Regional factor for TN: ×0.91. Full cost breakdown for Tennessee · run your own dimensions.
ZIP codes in Oak Ridge
37830, 37831
Soil does not stop at a city boundary, and neither does this data — every ZIP code above resolves to the same county soil survey. For the individual survey polygons around one address, use the soil map.
Other places in Anderson County
Questions about Oak Ridge
Is the soil the same everywhere in Oak Ridge?
No. These values describe Anderson County as a whole, which is the unit the soil survey publishes. Within a city, map units change over a few hundred metres — the soil map draws the actual polygons around a point and is the honest answer for one address.
Which contractor should I call in Oak Ridge?
We do not rank or recommend individual firms and we are not one. What this page is for is knowing which kind of work the ground here points to before anyone quotes you, and which claim to check. If you want quotes, the form below passes your request to the named networks.
Does this replace an inspection?
No. It tells you what the ground is; an inspection tells you what your building is doing on it. The useful order is: read this, print the brief for your county, then have someone look.
Get quotes in Oak Ridge
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Page data updated