Soil series profile

Blakeland soil series

Blakeland is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 135,843 acres in 12 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.

#2711 by mapped area sandy Torriorthentic Haplustolls (Mollisols)

Drainage class: Somewhat excessively drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 7.0
Mapped area: 136k

Typical Blakeland profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Blakeland horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–11 in (A)	Loamy sand	7.0	6%	85%	3%
11–27 in (AC)	Loamy sand	7.0	6%	85%	0.75%
27–60 in (C)	Sand	7.0	4%	95%	0.75%

Representative values from the most extensive Blakeland map unit (Blakeland loamy sand, 1 to 9 percent slopes, survey area CO625). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Blakeland soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Blakeland soils is neutral: pH 7.0, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Sandy topsoil covers 98% of mapped Blakeland acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is loamy sand (98% of mapped Blakeland acres).

98% of mapped Blakeland acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.

For lawns and yards

100% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 100% of the acres in mapped Blakeland 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Blakeland soil is found

Mapped acres

Blakeland is mapped in Colorado and Wyoming.

Counties with the most mapped Blakeland soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
El Paso County, CO	82,821	5.6%
Elbert County, CO	19,008	1.6%
Adams County, CO	13,859	1.8%
Weld County, CO	5,461	0.2%
Douglas County, CO	4,699	0.9%
Arapahoe County, CO	3,670	0.7%
Morgan County, CO	2,639	0.3%
Broomfield County, CO	1,807	6.4%
Denver County, CO	1,038	1.0%
Lincoln County, CO	835	0.1%
Laramie County, WY	5	0.0%
Jefferson County, CO	2	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Blakeland acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 100%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Blakeland acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Blakeland acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	100.0%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Blakeland 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 5–9% (median 5%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 3%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 98%

Well drained 2%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Blakeland acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Blakeland acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	98.1%
Well drained	1.9%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 100%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Blakeland acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Blakeland acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	100.0%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
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 Blakeland (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 135,843 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Blakeland components. The profile comes from the single largest Blakeland component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Blakeland.