Clay Soil, Drainage and Lansing Driveways
Most of Ingham County is loamy glacial till that holds water close to the surface in spring, and that water has as much to do with a driveway's life as the asphalt on top.
What the county soil survey shows
The USDA soil survey of Ingham County sorts the county's ground into seven general soil associations. Four are named for two loamy till soils, Marlette and Capac, and together they cover about 73 percent of the county: Marlette-Capac-Owosso at 21 percent, Capac-Marlette-Colwood at 21 percent, Marlette-Oshtemo-Capac at 21 percent, and the Urban land-Marlette-Capac association at 10 percent. The survey describes that last one as about 45 percent urban land, the built-up ground where the soil has been graded, filled and paved over.
The rest of the county is sandier or wetter. The Oshtemo-Houghton-Riddles association covers 18 percent and mixes well-drained sandy and loamy soils with muck; Houghton-Palms-Edwards, 5 percent, is nearly level, very poorly drained muck; and Riddles-Hillsdale-Aubbeenaubbee covers the last 4 percent. The county itself is gently rolling, between 800 and 1,000 feet above sea level, with the Grand River along its western side and the Red Cedar crossing its north to meet the Grand in Lansing.
Capac, Colwood and a water table close to the surface
The official series description for Capac calls it a very deep, somewhat poorly drained soil formed in loam or clay loam till on moraines and till plains, with an apparent seasonal high water table 15 to 46 centimeters below the surface. In plain terms, for part of each year there can be groundwater within 6 to 18 inches of the lawn surface. Stack HomeGuide's residential section, a gravel base of 6 to 8 inches topped by 2 to 3 inches of asphalt, and the bottom of the base lands 8 to 11 inches below the surface, inside that range. Marlette, its common neighbor, is moderately well drained, with the seasonal water table 2 to 6 feet down between October and May.
Colwood, the third soil in the Capac-Marlette-Colwood association, is poorly or very poorly drained, formed in stratified silty and loamy deposits on lake plains, outwash plains and deltas. On that ground the base course beneath a driveway can spend much of the spring wet, and the thaw weakening Pavement Interactive describes, in which meltwater trapped above frozen soil robs the subgrade of bearing capacity, lasts longer.
The fine particles in these soils matter too. Pavement Interactive's three preconditions for frost heave are a fines-rich soil, frost that reaches down into it, and a source of water. Loam and clay loam till provide the fines, the Capac water table provides the water, and the airport station's 131 nights a year at or below freezing provide the cold.
- Capac: somewhat poorly drained, seasonal water table 15 to 46 cm down
- Marlette: moderately well drained, water table 2 to 6 ft down from October to May
- Colwood: poorly or very poorly drained silty and loamy deposits
- Owosso and Oshtemo: well drained
Muck in the low spots
Houghton muck is a different material altogether: organic soil formed in herbaceous plant material more than 51 inches thick, in depressions, drainageways and floodplains. Its official description puts the seasonal high water table anywhere from 2 feet above the surface in ponded areas to 1 foot below it between September and June, and its reference profile was described about 3 miles northeast of Bath in neighboring Clinton County.
Pavement over muck behaves poorly because the ground under it is soft, wet and compressible for much of the year. A driveway crossing a low swale or built on a filled wet spot may settle unevenly, crack across the low area and pond water in the dip. Before paving or rebuilding a drive on a low lot, a probe of the subgrade shows whether the problem is a thin base or organic soil beneath it, and the answer changes the repair.
Where the water comes from
The airport station averages 31.77 inches of precipitation a year across 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch, plus 51.1 inches of snow a season. The wettest months are September at 3.50 inches and June at 3.45, and April and May bring 3.03 and 3.36 inches just as the ground is thawing and the water table is high. Water arrives from above as rain and meltwater, from the sides as runoff from lawns and roofs, and from below as the seasonal water table rises.
Around the house, much of that water can be steered. A downspout that empties onto the drive delivers a roof's worth of runoff to one spot. A lawn edge that has grown higher than the asphalt over the years holds water against the pavement edge. A low spot that ponds after every rain soaks the base in the same place each time. Local governments are paying attention to the same problem at a larger scale: East Lansing notes that urban flooding is rising and is preparing a Wet Weather Resiliency Plan, and Delhi Township points out that its storm drains discharge directly into rivers and streams.
Drainage fixes that belong before sealing
Sealer protects the top of the pavement from oxidation and surface water. It does nothing about water that reaches the base from the sides or from below, which is the water that clay till delivers. On a drive over Capac or Colwood soil, the order of work matters: fix the drainage, repair what has failed, fill the cracks, and seal last. Owners comparing quotes for sealcoating around Lansing can ask each contractor what they would change about the drainage before coating.
For a new or rebuilt drive, the base carries the load. HomeGuide's residential numbers call for a compacted gravel base of 6 to 8 inches, deepened to 8 to 10 inches where heavier vehicles run, with the asphalt layer at 2 to 3 inches, or 3 to 4 inches in the heavier case. On wet till, the deeper base and a grade that sheds water away from the house and into a drainage path are worth more than extra asphalt on top. The asphalt paving page covers overlays and replacements, including the permits for a new approach.
- Extend downspouts so roof water lands on lawn, well away from the pavement
- Cut the lawn edge back below the asphalt so water can leave the surface
- Rebuild low spots that pond, rather than filling them with sealer or cold patch
- Fill cracks before every winter so water does not reach the base
- Seal only after drainage, patches and cracks are done
The exceptions on sand and gravel
Not all of the area sits on wet till. Oshtemo soils, named in two associations that together cover 39 percent of the county, are well drained, formed in stratified loamy and sandy deposits on outwash plains and moraines. Holt sits on the longest esker in Michigan, roughly 20 miles of stratified sand and gravel running from south Lansing through Holt to beyond Mason. Drives on that kind of ground can shed water downward quickly and face less frost heave, though low spots between ridges can still hold water and deserve the same drainage checks.
Tell independent Lansing-area contractors about the drainage as well as the cracks when asking for prices.
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Quick Answers
How can an owner tell whether a driveway sits on wet soil?
The pavement usually shows it. Water that stands in the same places for a day after rain, edges that stay dark and damp long after the center has dried, a drive that feels soft or ruts in April, and cracks that reopen every spring along the same lines all point to a wet base. A contractor can confirm it by probing the base and subgrade at the problem areas before quoting.
Does sealer help a driveway built over clay?
It protects the surface, which still matters, but it cannot keep water out of a base that is being fed from the sides or from below. On Capac and Colwood soils, where the seasonal water table sits close to the surface, drainage work and crack filling do more for the drive's life than the coating. Sealing is the last step, after those are done.
Will a thicker gravel base stop frost heave?
It reduces the problem but does not remove it by itself. Pavement Interactive lists fine-grained soil, freezing temperatures and available water as the three requirements for frost heave. A deeper base of compacted gravel keeps more non-frost-susceptible material under the asphalt, and good drainage limits the water, but a drive with a thick base and a downspout emptying beside it can still heave.
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