Soil series profile
Bowie soil series
Bowie is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 1,031,286 acres in 57 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 96% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 78% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.5–5.5
- Mapped area
- 1.0M acres in 57 counties, 4 states
Typical Bowie profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 5.5 | 9% | 64% | 0.75% |
| 5–10 in (E) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 9% | 65% | 0.5% |
| 10–27 in (Bt) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 27% | 56% | 0.4% |
| 27–45 in (Btv) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 28% | 55% | 0.3% |
| 45–73 in (Btv/E) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 27% | 56% | 0.25% |
| 73–80 in (B't) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 33% | 35% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Bowie soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Bowie soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5. 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 85% of mapped Bowie acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (84% of mapped Bowie acres).
>99% of mapped Bowie 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 85% of the acres in mapped Bowie soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (15% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Bowie soil is found
Mapped acres
Bowie is mapped in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Cass County, TX | 94,544 | 16.1% |
| Columbia County, AR | 80,082 | 16.5% |
| Upshur County, TX | 73,080 | 19.5% |
| Cherokee County, TX | 58,046 | 8.6% |
| Harrison County, TX | 52,955 | 9.2% |
| Bienville Parish, LA | 46,233 | 8.9% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 39,610 | 4.1% |
| Smith County, TX | 38,846 | 6.6% |
| Marion County, TX | 37,284 | 15.1% |
| Camp County, TX | 34,798 | 27.4% |
| Sabine Parish, LA | 31,938 | 5.7% |
| Nevada County, AR | 31,933 | 8.1% |
| Gregg County, TX | 31,002 | 17.8% |
| Caddo Parish, LA | 30,848 | 5.5% |
| Rusk County, TX | 29,479 | 5.0% |
| Anderson County, TX | 29,044 | 4.2% |
| Miller County, AR | 28,782 | 7.2% |
| Claiborne Parish, LA | 22,383 | 4.6% |
| Morris County, TX | 22,189 | 13.6% |
| Nacogdoches County, TX | 18,746 | 3.1% |
| Lincoln Parish, LA | 18,439 | 6.1% |
| Bossier Parish, LA | 18,415 | 3.5% |
| Jackson Parish, LA | 18,033 | 4.9% |
| Wood County, TX | 17,296 | 4.2% |
| Hempstead County, AR | 13,915 | 3.0% |
| Titus County, TX | 11,014 | 4.2% |
| Houston County, TX | 10,327 | 1.3% |
| Lafayette County, AR | 9,858 | 2.9% |
| Hot Spring County, AR | 9,550 | 2.4% |
| San Augustine County, TX | 9,442 | 2.8% |
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 6,909 | 0.9% |
| Little River County, AR | 6,793 | 2.0% |
| Clark County, AR | 6,228 | 1.1% |
| Sabine County, TX | 6,227 | 2.0% |
| Vernon Parish, LA | 4,994 | 0.6% |
| Franklin County, TX | 4,844 | 2.6% |
| Union Parish, LA | 4,162 | 0.7% |
| Shelby County, TX | 3,698 | 0.7% |
| Panola County, TX | 3,380 | 0.7% |
| Cleveland County, AR | 3,037 | 0.8% |
| Winn Parish, LA | 2,568 | 0.4% |
| Webster Parish, LA | 1,946 | 0.5% |
| Angelina County, TX | 1,810 | 0.4% |
| Union County, AR | 1,615 | 0.2% |
| Freestone County, TX | 1,314 | 0.2% |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 1,134 | 0.2% |
| Grant County, AR | 572 | 0.1% |
| Leon County, TX | 376 | 0.1% |
| Henderson County, TX | 312 | 0.1% |
| Van Zandt County, TX | 307 | 0.1% |
| Ouachita County, AR | 279 | 0.1% |
| Dallas County, AR | 259 | 0.1% |
| Calhoun County, AR | 176 | 0.0% |
| Hopkins County, TX | 167 | 0.0% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 64 | 0.0% |
| Red River Parish, LA | 7 | 0.0% |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Bowie acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 84.6% |
| Not rated | 15.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Bowie 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 3–6% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 95.6% |
| Moderately well drained | 4.4% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 78.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 7.0% |
| 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 | 14.7% |
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 Bowie (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,031,286 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Bowie components. The profile comes from the single largest Bowie component. Full methodology.