Soil series profile
Bonneau soil series
Bonneau is a well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 599,479 acres in 65 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 81% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 96% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.8
- Mapped area
- 599k acres in 65 counties, 6 states
Typical Bonneau profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–13 in (Ap) | Loamy sand | 5.8 | 7% | 84% | 1.25% |
| 13–28 in (E) | Loamy fine sand | 5.6 | 8% | 84% | 0.25% |
| 28–45 in (Bt1) | Fine sandy loam | 5.5 | 17% | 63% | 0.25% |
| 45–85 in (Bt2) | Sandy clay loam | 4.6 | 30% | 55% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Bonneau soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Bonneau soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.3 and 5.8). 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.
Sandy topsoil covers 100% of mapped Bonneau 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 (48% of mapped Bonneau acres).
100% of mapped Bonneau 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 64% of the acres in mapped Bonneau soils very limited, 36% 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 Bonneau soil is found
Mapped acres
Bonneau is mapped in South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Bonneau acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Suwannee County, FL | 60,229 | 13.7% |
| Berkeley County, SC | 49,825 | 7.3% |
| Decatur County, GA | 41,613 | 13.0% |
| Columbia County, FL | 37,226 | 7.3% |
| Allendale County, SC | 32,314 | 8.6% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 31,969 | 4.6% |
| Hampton County, SC | 25,556 | 7.3% |
| Northampton County, NC | 24,041 | 7.8% |
| Bamberg County, SC | 18,328 | 7.9% |
| Walton County, FL | 18,059 | 2.5% |
| Colleton County, SC | 17,796 | 3.0% |
| Alachua County, FL | 16,703 | 2.9% |
| Martin County, NC | 14,724 | 5.4% |
| Grady County, GA | 13,430 | 5.6% |
| Halifax County, NC | 13,047 | 3.1% |
| Darlington County, SC | 13,008 | 3.9% |
| Butler County, AL | 12,699 | 2.9% |
| Nash County, NC | 12,527 | 3.9% |
| Baker County, GA | 9,158 | 4.8% |
| Dorchester County, SC | 8,655 | 2.4% |
| Hertford County, NC | 8,564 | 4.2% |
| Stewart County, GA | 7,542 | 2.9% |
| Mitchell County, GA | 7,144 | 2.6% |
| Johnston County, NC | 6,957 | 1.5% |
| Marlboro County, SC | 6,417 | 2.2% |
| Gilchrist County, FL | 6,324 | 2.8% |
| Lowndes County, AL | 5,948 | 1.5% |
| Barbour County, AL | 5,509 | 1.2% |
| Marengo County, AL | 5,067 | 0.9% |
| Washington County, FL | 5,032 | 1.3% |
| Sumter County, SC | 4,711 | 1.1% |
| Prince George County, VA | 4,700 | 3.3% |
| Bertie County, NC | 4,501 | 1.1% |
| Dallas County, AL | 4,448 | 0.8% |
| Lee County, SC | 3,479 | 1.3% |
| Jasper County, SC | 3,310 | 0.8% |
| Levy County, FL | 3,281 | 0.4% |
| Webster County, GA | 3,281 | 2.9% |
| Clay County, GA | 3,190 | 3.0% |
| Gates County, NC | 2,996 | 1.5% |
| Crenshaw County, AL | 2,736 | 0.8% |
| Pike County, AL | 2,635 | 0.7% |
| Conecuh County, AL | 2,219 | 0.5% |
| Williamsburg County, SC | 1,998 | 0.3% |
| Beaufort County, NC | 1,958 | 0.4% |
| Gadsden County, FL | 1,922 | 0.6% |
| Montgomery County, AL | 1,783 | 0.4% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 1,505 | 0.3% |
| Santa Rosa County, FL | 1,445 | 0.2% |
| Hancock County, GA | 1,353 | 0.5% |
| Hamilton County, FL | 1,314 | 0.4% |
| Quitman County, GA | 1,071 | 1.2% |
| Putnam County, FL | 1,030 | 0.2% |
| Randolph County, GA | 868 | 0.4% |
| Henry County, AL | 638 | 0.2% |
| Union County, FL | 452 | 0.3% |
| Baker County, FL | 256 | 0.1% |
| Leon County, FL | 254 | 0.1% |
| Okaloosa County, FL | 241 | 0.0% |
| Liberty County, FL | 139 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Bonneau acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 35.6% |
| Very limited | 64.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Bonneau acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.6 feet (43 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–4% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 8.3% |
| Well drained | 81.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 10.3% |
| 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) | 1.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 95.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 2.8% |
| 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 Bonneau (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 599,479 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Bonneau components. The profile comes from the single largest Bonneau component. Full methodology.