Soil series profile

Carver soil series

Carver is a excessively drained soil with a coarse sand surface, mapped on 209,660 acres in 8 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.

#1708 by mapped area Typic Quartzipsamments (Entisols)

Drainage class: Excessively drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 4.0
Mapped area: 210k

Typical Carver profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Carver horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–2 in (Oi)	Slightly decomposed plant material	Not reported	0%	0%	80%
2–3 in (Oe)	Moderately decomposed plant material	Not reported	0%	0%	60%
3–7 in (A)	Coarse sand	4.0	1%	95%	2.2%
7–10 in (E)	Coarse sand	4.0	1%	95%	0.58%
10–15 in (Bw1)	Coarse sand	4.3	1%	95%	0.58%
15–28 in (Bw2)	Coarse sand	4.7	1%	95%	0.15%
28–32 in (BC)	Coarse sand	4.5	1%	95%	0.15%
32–67 in (C)	Coarse sand	4.7	1%	95%	0.08%

Representative values from the most extensive Carver map unit (Carver coarse sand, 3 to 8 percent slopes, survey area MA001). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Carver soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Carver soils is extremely acidic: pH 4.0. 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 Carver 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 coarse sand (72% of mapped Carver acres).

100% of mapped Carver acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.

For lawns and yards

100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Carver soils very limited, 0% 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Carver soil is found

Mapped acres

Carver is mapped in Massachusetts and New York.

Counties with the most mapped Carver soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Barnstable County, MA	86,972	34.4%
Suffolk County, NY	53,280	9.2%
Plymouth County, MA	47,942	11.5%
Dukes County, MA	17,856	26.5%
Middlesex County, MA	2,838	0.5%
Essex County, MA	418	0.1%
Hampden County, MA	279	0.1%
Nassau County, NY	75	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Carver acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 100%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Carver acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Carver acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	100.0%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Carver 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 1–25% (median 5%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 2.2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 100%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 0%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Carver acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Carver acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	100.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	0.0%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 100%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Carver acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Carver acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	100.0%
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%

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 Carver (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 209,660 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Carver components. The profile comes from the single largest Carver component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Carver.