Soil series profile
Benndale soil series
Benndale is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 406,550 acres in 27 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.0
- Mapped area
- 407k acres in 27 counties, 3 states
Typical Benndale profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–19 in (A/E) | Fine sandy loam | 5.0 | 10% | 64% | 2.5% |
| 19–40 in (Bt1) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 14% | 56% | 0.75% |
| 40–88 in (Bt2) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 22% | 51% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Benndale soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Benndale soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0. Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Benndale acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (96% of mapped Benndale acres).
100% of mapped Benndale 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 17% of the acres in mapped Benndale soils very limited, 69% somewhat limited and 13% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Benndale soil is found
Mapped acres
Benndale is mapped in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Escambia County, AL | 90,138 | 16.7% |
| Perry County, MS | 57,542 | 14.3% |
| Forrest County, MS | 36,245 | 12.9% |
| Mobile County, AL | 36,044 | 5.2% |
| Stone County, MS | 35,395 | 12.9% |
| Jackson County, MS | 34,975 | 8.6% |
| George County, MS | 33,137 | 11.3% |
| Greene County, MS | 21,300 | 4.7% |
| Washington County, AL | 10,728 | 1.7% |
| Jones County, MS | 10,636 | 2.5% |
| Wayne County, MS | 7,397 | 1.5% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 6,807 | 1.5% |
| Dallas County, AL | 6,333 | 1.2% |
| Lamar County, MS | 5,394 | 1.8% |
| Autauga County, AL | 3,714 | 1.2% |
| Butler County, AL | 3,375 | 0.8% |
| Marion County, MS | 2,502 | 0.8% |
| Monroe County, AL | 1,819 | 0.3% |
| Walton County, FL | 828 | 0.1% |
| Lowndes County, AL | 619 | 0.2% |
| Hancock County, MS | 530 | 0.2% |
| Harrison County, MS | 412 | 0.1% |
| Jasper County, MS | 395 | 0.1% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 121 | 0.0% |
| Escambia County, FL | 74 | 0.0% |
| Kemper County, MS | 61 | 0.0% |
| Clarke County, MS | 30 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Benndale acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 13.2% |
| Somewhat limited | 69.4% |
| Very limited | 17.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Benndale 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 1–10% (median 4%).
- 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 | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 0.9% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 99.1% |
| 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% |
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 Benndale (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 406,550 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Benndale components. The profile comes from the single largest Benndale component. Full methodology.