Soil series profile
Alford soil series
Alford is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 519,345 acres in 58 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.9 moderately acidic · range 5.9–5.9
- Mapped area
- 519k acres in 58 counties, 4 states
Typical Alford profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 5.9 | 19% | 6% | 2.5% |
| 9–27 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 5.0 | 28% | 3% | 0.5% |
| 27–73 in (Bt2) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 20% | 3% | 0.25% |
| 73–80 in (2BC) | Silt loam | 5.6 | 13% | 22% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Alford soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Alford soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.9. Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Alford acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (98% of mapped Alford acres).
>99% of mapped Alford acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
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 13% of the acres in mapped Alford soils very limited, 87% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Alford soil is found
Mapped acres
Alford is mapped in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, KY | 66,180 | 30.3% |
| Posey County, IN | 47,510 | 18.4% |
| Gibson County, IN | 42,414 | 13.7% |
| Knox County, IN | 38,124 | 11.6% |
| Henderson County, KY | 33,831 | 12.0% |
| Daviess County, KY | 31,702 | 10.8% |
| Hardin County, IL | 21,446 | 20.8% |
| Parke County, IN | 19,368 | 7.0% |
| Spencer County, IN | 17,001 | 6.7% |
| Webster County, KY | 14,043 | 6.6% |
| Gallatin County, IL | 13,374 | 6.5% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 13,357 | 4.8% |
| Daviess County, IN | 12,442 | 4.5% |
| Crittenden County, KY | 12,243 | 5.3% |
| Vanderburgh County, IN | 11,300 | 7.6% |
| Pike County, IN | 10,435 | 4.9% |
| White County, IL | 9,937 | 3.3% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 9,306 | 2.2% |
| Warrick County, IN | 8,947 | 3.7% |
| Putnam County, IN | 8,070 | 2.7% |
| Livingston County, KY | 7,850 | 4.0% |
| Massac County, IL | 6,770 | 4.8% |
| Vigo County, IN | 6,457 | 2.6% |
| Hancock County, KY | 5,599 | 4.6% |
| Wabash County, IL | 5,438 | 3.8% |
| McLean County, KY | 4,729 | 2.9% |
| Lawrence County, IL | 4,634 | 2.0% |
| Licking County, OH | 4,618 | 1.1% |
| Pulaski County, IL | 4,432 | 3.8% |
| Fairfield County, OH | 4,226 | 1.3% |
| Morgan County, IN | 3,327 | 1.3% |
| Hopkins County, KY | 2,361 | 0.7% |
| Greene County, IN | 2,248 | 0.7% |
| Pope County, IL | 1,957 | 0.9% |
| Edwards County, IL | 1,858 | 1.3% |
| Perry County, IN | 1,245 | 0.5% |
| Monroe County, IN | 986 | 0.4% |
| Vermillion County, IN | 883 | 0.6% |
| Meade County, KY | 856 | 0.4% |
| Dubois County, IN | 819 | 0.3% |
| Montgomery County, IN | 786 | 0.2% |
| Hocking County, OH | 774 | 0.3% |
| Coshocton County, OH | 710 | 0.2% |
| Muhlenberg County, KY | 691 | 0.2% |
| Scioto County, OH | 561 | 0.1% |
| Warren County, IN | 551 | 0.2% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 492 | 0.1% |
| Crawford County, IN | 483 | 0.2% |
| Warren County, OH | 460 | 0.2% |
| Washington County, OH | 435 | 0.1% |
| Ohio County, KY | 304 | 0.1% |
| Harrison County, IN | 243 | 0.1% |
| Clinton County, IN | 191 | 0.1% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 190 | 0.1% |
| Perry County, OH | 151 | 0.1% |
| Noble County, OH | 1 | 0.0% |
| Orange County, IN | 0 | 0.0% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Alford acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 87.0% |
| Very limited | 12.7% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Alford acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–15% (median 7%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 99.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
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 Alford (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 519,345 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Alford components. The profile comes from the single largest Alford component. Full methodology.