Soil series profile
Cheney soil series
Cheney is a well drained soil with a ashy silt loam surface, mapped on 48,072 acres in 4 counties in WA. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.6 neutral · range 6.6–7.2
- Mapped area
- 48k acres in 4 counties, 1 state
Typical Cheney profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Ashy silt loam | 6.6 | 14% | 20% | 3% |
| 10–14 in (A) | Ashy silt loam | 6.7 | 15% | 20% | 2.5% |
| 14–22 in (Bw) | Ashy silt loam | 7.2 | 15% | 30% | 1% |
| 22–28 in (Bt) | Ashy silt loam | 7.2 | 17% | 30% | 0.5% |
| 28–32 in (2C1) | Very gravelly sandy loam | 7.6 | 7% | 69% | 0.25% |
| 32–60 in (2C2) | Extremely gravelly coarse sand | 8.0 | 1% | 93% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Cheney soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Cheney soils is neutral: pH 6.6 (most land between 6.6 and 7.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Cheney acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is ashy silt loam (92% of mapped Cheney acres).
100% of mapped Cheney 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 100% of the acres in mapped Cheney 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 Cheney soil is found
Mapped acres
Cheney is mapped in Washington.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane County, WA | 34,770 | 3.1% |
| Whitman County, WA | 6,141 | 0.5% |
| Lincoln County, WA | 4,489 | 0.3% |
| Stevens County, WA | 2,672 | 0.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Cheney acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Cheney 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 3–8% (median 3%).
- 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 | 100.0% |
| 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 Cheney (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 48,072 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Cheney components. The profile comes from the single largest Cheney component. Full methodology.