Soil series profile
Brewster soil series
Brewster is a well drained soil with a gravelly clay loam surface, mapped on 621,532 acres in 11 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.0 neutral · range 6.9–7.0
- Mapped area
- 622k acres in 11 counties, 3 states
Typical Brewster profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (A1) | Gravelly clay loam | 7.0 | 28% | 38% | 2.5% |
| 7–79 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |

What this means
What Brewster soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Brewster soils is neutral: pH 7.0 (most land between 6.9 and 7.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 99% of mapped Brewster acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is very gravelly loam (31% of mapped Brewster acres).
>99% of mapped Brewster acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 99% of the acres in mapped Brewster soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (1% 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 Brewster soil is found
Mapped acres
Brewster is mapped in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 250,371 | 17.3% |
| Presidio County, TX | 157,515 | 6.7% |
| Brewster County, TX | 133,890 | 3.4% |
| Reeves County, TX | 36,900 | 2.2% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 13,003 | 0.4% |
| Pecos County, TX | 9,133 | 0.3% |
| Gila County, AZ | 5,813 | 0.4% |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 5,299 | 0.2% |
| El Paso County, TX | 4,070 | 0.6% |
| Graham County, AZ | 4,032 | 0.2% |
| Otero County, NM | 1,508 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Brewster acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 98.7% |
| Not rated | 1.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Brewster 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 8–40% (median 20%).
- 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 | 99.7% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 99.2% |
| 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 | 0.8% |
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 Brewster (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 621,532 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Brewster components. The profile comes from the single largest Brewster component. Full methodology.