Soil series profile
Belfield soil series
Belfield is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 557,928 acres in 36 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 80% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.6 neutral · range 6.6–7.0
- Mapped area
- 558k acres in 36 counties, 3 states
Typical Belfield profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.6 | 23% | 15% | 4% |
| 7–10 in (A) | Silt loam | 6.6 | 23% | 15% | 4% |
| 10–13 in (E/B) | Clay loam | 6.8 | 30% | 28% | 3% |
| 13–19 in (Btn1) | Clay | 7.8 | 42% | 25% | 2% |
| 19–26 in (Btn2) | Clay loam | 7.8 | 37% | 25% | 1.5% |
| 26–45 in (Bk) | Clay loam | 8.2 | 36% | 30% | 1% |
| 45–79 in (C) | Clay loam | 8.6 | 36% | 35% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Belfield soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Belfield soils is neutral: pH 6.6 (most land between 6.6 and 7.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Belfield acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (67% of mapped Belfield acres).
100% of mapped Belfield acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Belfield 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 Belfield soil is found
Mapped acres
Belfield is mapped in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Morton County, ND | 62,386 | 5.1% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 55,117 | 7.6% |
| Perkins County, SD | 51,306 | 2.8% |
| Adams County, ND | 48,649 | 7.7% |
| Sioux County, ND | 35,788 | 5.1% |
| Dewey County, SD | 32,719 | 2.2% |
| Stark County, ND | 30,595 | 3.6% |
| Dunn County, ND | 29,372 | 2.3% |
| Bowman County, ND | 28,111 | 3.8% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 24,460 | 1.4% |
| Slope County, ND | 23,926 | 3.1% |
| Grant County, ND | 22,962 | 2.2% |
| Corson County, SD | 17,840 | 1.1% |
| Mercer County, ND | 16,025 | 2.4% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 14,594 | 0.3% |
| Emmons County, ND | 11,182 | 1.2% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 9,594 | 0.9% |
| Butte County, SD | 8,837 | 0.6% |
| Oliver County, ND | 8,531 | 1.8% |
| Billings County, ND | 6,547 | 0.9% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 6,274 | 1.0% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 2,862 | 0.2% |
| Harding County, SD | 2,587 | 0.2% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 1,277 | 0.0% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 1,249 | 0.2% |
| Mountrail County, ND | 1,179 | 0.1% |
| Williams County, ND | 1,153 | 0.1% |
| Logan County, ND | 680 | 0.1% |
| Fallon County, MT | 667 | 0.1% |
| McLean County, ND | 662 | 0.0% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 519 | 0.1% |
| Campbell County, SD | 199 | 0.0% |
| McPherson County, SD | 64 | 0.0% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 7 | 0.0% |
| Wells County, ND | 7 | 0.0% |
| Kidder County, ND | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Belfield acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Belfield acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.3 feet (51 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–4% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 4%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 20.5% |
| Moderately well drained | 79.5% |
| 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 | 100.0% |
| 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% |
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 Belfield (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 557,928 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Belfield components. The profile comes from the single largest Belfield component. Full methodology.