Soil series profile
Ava soil series
Ava is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 681,002 acres in 54 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.3 slightly acidic · range 5.9–6.3
- Mapped area
- 681k acres in 54 counties, 2 states
Typical Ava profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 5.9 | 16% | 6% | 2.5% |
| 8–27 in (Bt) | Silt loam | 4.7 | 26% | 5% | 0.4% |
| 27–43 in (Btx1) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 23% | 11% | 0.25% |
| 43–59 in (2Btx2) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 21% | 28% | 0.2% |
| 59–79 in (3Btb) | Loam | 5.3 | 26% | 35% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Ava soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Ava soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.3 (most land between 5.9 and 6.3), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Ava acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (96% of mapped Ava acres).
100% of mapped Ava acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Ava soils very limited, 0% 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 Ava soil is found
Mapped acres
Ava is mapped in Illinois and Indiana.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, IL | 51,104 | 18.4% |
| Jefferson County, IL | 39,058 | 11.0% |
| White County, IL | 38,335 | 12.6% |
| Williamson County, IL | 35,191 | 13.5% |
| Franklin County, IL | 34,460 | 13.3% |
| Wayne County, IL | 33,989 | 7.5% |
| Saline County, IL | 33,456 | 13.7% |
| Fayette County, IL | 32,390 | 7.1% |
| Effingham County, IL | 30,445 | 10.0% |
| Shelby County, IL | 30,380 | 6.3% |
| Greene County, IN | 29,178 | 8.5% |
| Lawrence County, IL | 27,552 | 11.6% |
| Marion County, IL | 23,724 | 6.6% |
| Crawford County, IL | 19,246 | 6.9% |
| Clay County, IN | 19,242 | 8.8% |
| Clay County, IL | 18,076 | 6.0% |
| Jasper County, IL | 18,003 | 5.7% |
| Owen County, IN | 16,819 | 6.9% |
| Richland County, IL | 15,623 | 6.8% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 14,179 | 5.1% |
| Edwards County, IL | 13,710 | 9.7% |
| Cumberland County, IL | 13,706 | 6.2% |
| Clark County, IL | 13,496 | 4.3% |
| Perry County, IL | 12,823 | 4.8% |
| Washington County, IL | 11,343 | 3.2% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 8,617 | 1.9% |
| Morgan County, IN | 7,873 | 3.1% |
| Bond County, IL | 7,402 | 3.1% |
| Putnam County, IN | 7,350 | 2.4% |
| Jackson County, IL | 4,704 | 1.3% |
| Wabash County, IL | 4,487 | 3.2% |
| Vigo County, IN | 3,285 | 1.3% |
| Clinton County, IL | 2,388 | 0.8% |
| Macoupin County, IL | 1,700 | 0.3% |
| Gallatin County, IL | 1,652 | 0.8% |
| Madison County, IL | 1,085 | 0.2% |
| Martin County, IN | 932 | 0.4% |
| Randolph County, IL | 696 | 0.2% |
| Monroe County, IL | 552 | 0.2% |
| Hancock County, IL | 397 | 0.1% |
| McDonough County, IL | 369 | 0.1% |
| Brown County, IN | 367 | 0.2% |
| Jersey County, IL | 346 | 0.1% |
| Adams County, IL | 271 | 0.1% |
| Brown County, IL | 249 | 0.1% |
| Edgar County, IL | 220 | 0.1% |
| Knox County, IL | 144 | 0.0% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 121 | 0.0% |
| Fulton County, IL | 80 | 0.0% |
| Johnson County, IN | 52 | 0.0% |
| St. Clair County, IL | 40 | 0.0% |
| Pike County, IL | 37 | 0.0% |
| Coles County, IL | 35 | 0.0% |
| Christian County, IL | 25 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Ava acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Ava acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.2 feet (26 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on <1% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–8% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 100.0% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 99.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.9% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Ava (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 681,002 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Ava components. The profile comes from the single largest Ava component. Full methodology.