Soil series profile
Bresser soil series
Bresser is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 478,674 acres in 11 counties in CO. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.8 neutral · range 6.7–6.8
- Mapped area
- 479k acres in 11 counties, 1 state
Typical Bresser profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 6.8 | 14% | 67% | 3% |
| 5–8 in (Bt1) | Sandy loam | 6.8 | 17% | 58% | 1.25% |
| 8–27 in (Bt2) | Sandy clay loam | 6.8 | 25% | 57% | 1.25% |
| 27–36 in (Bt3) | Sandy loam | 6.8 | 10% | 70% | 0.75% |
| 36–80 in (C) | Loamy coarse sand | 6.8 | 11% | 82% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Bresser soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Bresser soils is neutral: pH 6.8 (most land between 6.7 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 98% of mapped Bresser acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (97% of mapped Bresser acres).
100% of mapped Bresser 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 2% of the acres in mapped Bresser soils very limited, 91% somewhat limited and 7% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Bresser soil is found
Mapped acres
Bresser is mapped in Colorado.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Elbert County, CO | 192,907 | 16.5% |
| El Paso County, CO | 168,462 | 11.5% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 49,696 | 9.5% |
| Morgan County, CO | 31,083 | 3.9% |
| Douglas County, CO | 21,674 | 4.0% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 7,255 | 0.4% |
| Weld County, CO | 5,527 | 0.2% |
| Adams County, CO | 1,251 | 0.2% |
| Broomfield County, CO | 538 | 1.9% |
| Denver County, CO | 257 | 0.3% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 24 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Bresser acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 6.7% |
| Somewhat limited | 90.9% |
| Very limited | 2.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Bresser 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 2–13% (median 7%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
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) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 98.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.6% |
| 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 Bresser (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 478,674 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Bresser components. The profile comes from the single largest Bresser component. Full methodology.