Soil series profile
Alcester soil series
Alcester is a well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 538,915 acres in 37 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 90% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.2 neutral · range 7.2–7.6
- Mapped area
- 539k acres in 37 counties, 4 states
Typical Alcester profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silty clay loam | 7.2 | 28% | 13% | 2.75% |
| 8–16 in (A) | Silty clay loam | 7.2 | 29% | 12% | 2.5% |
| 16–23 in (Bw1) | Silty clay loam | 7.2 | 29% | 10% | 2.25% |
| 23–47 in (Bw2) | Silty clay loam | 7.2 | 28% | 9% | 1.25% |
| 47–67 in (Bk) | Silty clay loam | 7.4 | 27% | 9% | 1% |
| 67–79 in (C) | Silty clay loam | 7.5 | 27% | 6% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Alcester soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Alcester soils is neutral: pH 7.2 (most land between 7.2 and 7.6), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Alcester acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (92% of mapped Alcester acres).
100% of mapped Alcester acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 90% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 96% of the acres in mapped Alcester soils very limited, 4% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
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.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Alcester soil is found
Mapped acres
Alcester is mapped in Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Dixon County, NE | 50,249 | 16.5% |
| Cedar County, NE | 45,763 | 9.7% |
| Cuming County, NE | 39,468 | 10.8% |
| Knox County, NE | 37,605 | 5.3% |
| Thurston County, NE | 33,578 | 13.3% |
| Platte County, NE | 31,546 | 7.3% |
| Union County, SD | 29,513 | 10.0% |
| Madison County, NE | 29,370 | 8.0% |
| Burt County, NE | 28,182 | 8.9% |
| Colfax County, NE | 27,720 | 10.5% |
| Wayne County, NE | 26,949 | 9.5% |
| Stanton County, NE | 25,128 | 9.2% |
| Boone County, NE | 24,331 | 5.6% |
| Dodge County, NE | 18,876 | 5.6% |
| Dakota County, NE | 18,135 | 10.7% |
| Antelope County, NE | 14,721 | 2.7% |
| Lincoln County, SD | 14,286 | 3.9% |
| Washington County, NE | 9,877 | 4.0% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 9,848 | 1.9% |
| Bon Homme County, SD | 5,814 | 1.6% |
| Rock County, MN | 4,531 | 1.5% |
| Pierce County, NE | 4,181 | 1.1% |
| Turner County, SD | 2,170 | 0.5% |
| Nance County, NE | 2,106 | 0.7% |
| Lyon County, IA | 1,672 | 0.4% |
| Moody County, SD | 1,537 | 0.5% |
| Lake County, SD | 500 | 0.1% |
| Butler County, NE | 369 | 0.1% |
| Clay County, SD | 366 | 0.1% |
| Wheeler County, NE | 190 | 0.1% |
| Pipestone County, MN | 127 | 0.0% |
| Boyd County, NE | 83 | 0.0% |
| Charles Mix County, SD | 76 | 0.0% |
| Sioux County, IA | 26 | 0.0% |
| Brookings County, SD | 11 | 0.0% |
| Holt County, NE | 9 | 0.0% |
| Keya Paha County, NE | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Alcester acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 4.1% |
| Very limited | 95.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Alcester acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.4 feet (53 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 2% of acres (0% occasional, 0% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 4–9% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 98.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 1.6% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 9.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 90.3% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
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
- All map unit components named Alcester (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 538,915 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Alcester components. The profile comes from the single largest Alcester component. Full methodology.