Soil series profile
Cinebar soil series
Cinebar is a well drained soil with a medial silt loam surface, mapped on 180,253 acres in 5 counties in WA. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 94% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.5–6.2
- Mapped area
- 180k acres in 5 counties, 1 state
Typical Cinebar profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–16 in (H1) | Medial silt loam | 5.5 | 22% | 11% | 6% |
| 16–51 in (H2) | Medial silt loam | 5.8 | 22% | 11% | 2% |
| 51–60 in (H3) | Loam | 5.8 | 22% | 37% | 0.75% |
What this means
What Cinebar soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Cinebar soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.5 and 6.2). 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 94% of mapped Cinebar acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (44% of mapped Cinebar acres).
100% of mapped Cinebar 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 50% of the acres in mapped Cinebar soils very limited, 44% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (6% 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 Cinebar soil is found
Mapped acres
Cinebar is mapped in Washington.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Clark County, WA | 88,090 | 21.9% |
| Lewis County, WA | 60,928 | 5.2% |
| Cowlitz County, WA | 26,216 | 3.8% |
| Pierce County, WA | 4,802 | 0.4% |
| King County, WA | 217 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Cinebar acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 43.6% |
| Very limited | 50.3% |
| Not rated | 6.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Cinebar acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.8 feet (45 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–50% (median 17%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 6%.
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 | 93.9% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 6.1% |
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 Cinebar (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 180,253 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Cinebar components. The profile comes from the single largest Cinebar component. Full methodology.