County soil summary
Soil types in Douglas County, Nebraska
The most widespread soils are Contrary, Marshall and Gibbon; the most common drainage class is well drained (35% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 6.5.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 43% of land · state 90%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.5 slightly acidic · state 6.6
- Septic fields very limited
- 54% of land · state 80%
- Subject to flooding
- 28% of land, any frequency · state 10%
Most common soils in Douglas County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 68% of the mapped land; 54 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban landLand type, not a soil series | 20.0% | — | — |
| Contrary | 10.6% | Well drained | 6.1 |
| UdarentsGeneral soil group, not a named series | 10.3% | — | — |
| UdorthentsGeneral soil group, not a named series | 7.2% | — | — |
| Marshall | 6.4% | Well drained | 5.9 |
| Gibbon | 5.5% | Somewhat poorly drained | 7.9 |
| Monona | 4.3% | Well drained | 6.2 |
| Judson | 4.0% | Well drained | 5.8 |
What this means
What the soils in Douglas County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in Douglas County is slightly acidic: pH 6.5 (most land between 5.8 and 7.9), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 77% of the land: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (42% of the land).
For your lawn and yard
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 54% of the land in Douglas County very limited, 14% somewhat limited and 11% not limited (21% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Statewide, 80% of the land is very limited, so Douglas County is less restrictive than typical.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Flooding is mapped on 28% of the land (25% occasional, 2% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Drainage
How long the soil stays wet
The most common drainage class is well drained (35%). 43% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 90% across Nebraska.
Show as a table
| Category | Douglas County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.7% | 26.7% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.2% | 2.3% |
| Well drained | 35.3% | 52.7% |
| Moderately well drained | 6.6% | 8.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 15.2% | 5.8% |
| Poorly drained | 3.4% | 2.7% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Not rated | 38.1% | 0.4% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating for conventional drain fields
The rating looks at the soil from 24 to 60 inches deep: permeability, depth to a seasonal water table or bedrock, flooding and slope. “Very limited” means at least one feature is unfavorable enough that a conventional field is hard to make work.
Show as a table
| Category | Douglas County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 10.6% | 1.8% |
| Somewhat limited | 13.6% | 17.6% |
| Very limited | 54.4% | 80.4% |
| Not rated | 21.4% | 0.2% |
Rain, runoff and water table
Hydrologic soil group, flooding, seasonal water table
Hydrologic soil group
How fast rain soaks in when the soil is already wet. Group A soaks in fastest, D slowest.
Show as a table
| Category | Douglas County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 2.1% | 37.4% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 19.0% | 23.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 36.0% | 25.7% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 1.6% | 8.1% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.4% | 2.2% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 1.9% | 1.3% |
| Not rated | 38.1% | 0.6% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | Douglas County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 50.7% | 90.0% |
| Rare or very rare | 0.8% | 2.0% |
| Occasional | 25.1% | 5.4% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 1.9% | 2.3% |
| Not reported | 21.4% | 0.3% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | Douglas County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 3.3% | 6.0% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 15.7% | 6.9% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 78.3% | 87.0% |
| Not reported | 2.6% | 0.1% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 6.5 (slightly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 5.8 and 7.9. Median topsoil organic matter is 2%.
Show as a table
| Category | Douglas County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 39.2% | 20.6% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 20.0% | 63.8% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 19.3% | 15.0% |
| Not reported | 21.4% | 0.4% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | Douglas County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 0.8% | 37.0% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 77.3% | 59.7% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 0.4% | 2.1% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 21.4% | 0.7% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- Douglas County, Nebraska (FIPS 31055): 210,367 acres of mapped land, 6,939 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in Nebraska.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped land area: each map unit’s acres in the county times each soil component’s percentage. Open water is excluded. Topsoil values use the first mineral horizon of each component. Full methodology.