Soil series profile

Cheshire soil series

Cheshire is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 58,890 acres in 10 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.

#5282 by mapped area coarse-loamy Typic Dystrudepts (Inceptisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 5.3
Mapped area: 59k

Typical Cheshire 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 Cheshire horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–8 in (Ap)	Fine sandy loam	5.3	10%	62%	3.5%
8–16 in (Bw1)	Fine sandy loam	5.3	10%	56%	1%
16–26 in (Bw2)	Fine sandy loam	5.3	10%	56%	0.7%
26–65 in (C)	Gravelly sandy loam	5.3	9%	72%	0.1%

Representative values from the most extensive Cheshire map unit (Cheshire fine sandy loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes, survey area CT601). 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 Cheshire soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Cheshire soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3. 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 100% of mapped Cheshire acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (72% of mapped Cheshire acres).

100% of mapped Cheshire 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 Cheshire soils very limited, 2% 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 Cheshire soil is found

Mapped acres

Cheshire is mapped in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts.

Counties with the most mapped Cheshire soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
New Haven County, CT	22,268	5.7%
Sullivan County, NY	12,137	2.0%
Hartford County, CT	10,951	2.3%
Rockland County, NY	4,349	3.9%
Middlesex County, CT	4,036	1.7%
Tolland County, CT	3,324	1.3%
Franklin County, MA	1,778	0.4%
Litchfield County, CT	34	0.0%
Fairfield County, CT	13	0.0%
Hampden County, MA	1	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Cheshire acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 2%

Very limited 99%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Cheshire acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	1.5%
Very limited	98.5%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Cheshire 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 6–25% (median 9%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 3.5%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Cheshire acres.
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 3%

B: moderate infiltration 97%

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 Cheshire acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Cheshire acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	3.0%
B: moderate infiltration	97.0%
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 Cheshire (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 58,890 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Cheshire components. The profile comes from the single largest Cheshire component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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