Soil series profile
Bluepoint soil series
Bluepoint is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a loamy fine sand surface, mapped on 687,549 acres in 18 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 8.2 moderately alkaline · range 8.0–8.5
- Mapped area
- 688k acres in 18 counties, 5 states
Typical Bluepoint profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (H1) | Loamy fine sand | 8.2 | 4% | 79% | 0.25% |
| 6–12 in (H2) | Fine sand | 8.5 | 4% | 95% | 0.25% |
| 12–60 in (H3) | Stratified sand to loamy fine sand to very fine sandy loam | 8.5 | 6% | Not reported | 0.25% |
What this means
What Bluepoint soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Bluepoint soils is moderately alkaline: pH 8.2 (most land between 8.0 and 8.5). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Sandy topsoil covers 94% of mapped Bluepoint 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 fine sand (51% of mapped Bluepoint acres).
>99% of mapped Bluepoint acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
99% 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 81% of the acres in mapped Bluepoint soils very limited, 11% somewhat limited and 6% 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.
Flooding is mapped on 17% of the acres (0% occasional, 0% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Bluepoint soil is found
Mapped acres
Bluepoint is mapped in New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Arizona and California.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County, NM | 107,086 | 14.3% |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 89,843 | 3.5% |
| Luna County, NM | 88,348 | 4.7% |
| Socorro County, NM | 85,603 | 2.4% |
| Valencia County, NM | 82,584 | 11.9% |
| El Paso County, TX | 75,793 | 11.7% |
| Clark County, NV | 41,834 | 0.9% |
| Graham County, AZ | 25,350 | 1.0% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 22,780 | 0.4% |
| Nye County, NV | 16,711 | 0.2% |
| Sierra County, NM | 12,320 | 0.5% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 11,255 | 0.4% |
| Chaves County, NM | 9,182 | 0.2% |
| Otero County, NM | 8,663 | 0.2% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 5,247 | 0.1% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 2,512 | 0.1% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 1,322 | 0.0% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 57 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Bluepoint acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 6.4% |
| Somewhat limited | 11.4% |
| Very limited | 81.3% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Bluepoint acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.9 feet (59 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 17% of acres (0% occasional, 0% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 3–10% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 99.1% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 99.0% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
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 Bluepoint (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 687,549 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Bluepoint components. The profile comes from the single largest Bluepoint component. Full methodology.