Soil series profile
Chatfield soil series
Chatfield is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 533,998 acres in 47 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.2 extremely acidic · range 4.2–5.5
- Mapped area
- 534k acres in 47 counties, 6 states
Typical Chatfield profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 in (Oi) | Slightly decomposed plant material | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 95% |
| 1–2 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 4.2 | 9% | 58% | 10% |
| 2–30 in (Bw) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 4.7 | 8% | 56% | 1.5% |
| 30–40 in (2R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Chatfield soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Chatfield soils is extremely acidic: pH 4.2 (most land between 4.2 and 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 97% of mapped Chatfield acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (73% of mapped Chatfield acres).
>99% of mapped Chatfield 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Chatfield 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.
Where Chatfield soil is found
Mapped acres
Chatfield is mapped in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County, NH | 45,593 | 10.1% |
| Litchfield County, CT | 42,158 | 7.2% |
| Fairfield County, CT | 40,675 | 9.9% |
| Franklin County, MA | 37,610 | 8.4% |
| New London County, CT | 35,796 | 8.2% |
| Westchester County, NY | 35,178 | 13.3% |
| Worcester County, MA | 34,825 | 3.6% |
| Putnam County, NY | 25,566 | 17.4% |
| New Haven County, CT | 23,180 | 5.9% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 22,886 | 4.5% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 21,639 | 6.5% |
| Middlesex County, CT | 20,975 | 8.7% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 16,850 | 2.8% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 16,725 | 3.0% |
| Windham County, CT | 15,251 | 4.7% |
| Tolland County, CT | 13,324 | 5.1% |
| Hartford County, CT | 13,008 | 2.8% |
| Essex County, MA | 10,865 | 3.4% |
| Jefferson County, NY | 9,980 | 1.2% |
| Rockland County, NY | 9,176 | 8.3% |
| Hampden County, MA | 7,617 | 2.0% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 5,871 | 1.7% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 5,331 | 1.0% |
| Essex County, NY | 5,039 | 0.4% |
| Warren County, NJ | 3,937 | 1.7% |
| Providence County, RI | 2,569 | 0.9% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 2,326 | 0.6% |
| Washington County, RI | 1,683 | 0.8% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 1,389 | 0.3% |
| Kent County, RI | 1,254 | 1.1% |
| Orange County, NY | 1,073 | 0.2% |
| Bronx County, NY | 774 | 2.9% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 654 | 0.5% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 654 | 0.5% |
| Fulton County, NY | 522 | 0.2% |
| Belknap County, NH | 429 | 0.2% |
| New York County, NY | 368 | 2.6% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 355 | 0.3% |
| Strafford County, NH | 295 | 0.1% |
| Washington County, NY | 202 | 0.0% |
| Morris County, NJ | 125 | 0.0% |
| Newport County, RI | 106 | 0.2% |
| Grafton County, NH | 72 | 0.0% |
| Warren County, NY | 51 | 0.0% |
| Bristol County, RI | 30 | 0.2% |
| Queens County, NY | 11 | 0.0% |
| Kings County, NY | 2 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Chatfield acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.3% |
| Not rated | 0.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Chatfield 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 9–30% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 10%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.4% |
| Well drained | 99.2% |
| 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) | 0.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 97.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.7% |
| 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 | 0.5% |
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 Chatfield (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 533,998 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Chatfield components. The profile comes from the single largest Chatfield component. Full methodology.