Soil series profile
Coloma soil series
Coloma is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a sand surface, mapped on 633,008 acres in 49 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained 73% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.7 moderately acidic · range 5.6–5.9
- Mapped area
- 633k acres in 49 counties, 6 states
Typical Coloma profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Sand | 5.7 | 3% | 91% | 2.7% |
| 9–33 in (Bw) | Sand | 6.2 | 3% | 91% | 0.2% |
| 33–80 in (E and Bt) | Sand | 6.0 | 2% | 96% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Coloma soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Coloma soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.7 (most land between 5.6 and 5.9). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Sandy topsoil covers >99% of mapped Coloma 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 sand (74% of mapped Coloma acres).
100% of mapped Coloma acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
>99% 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Coloma soils very limited, <1% 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 Coloma soil is found
Mapped acres
Coloma is mapped in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Iowa.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lake County, MI | 89,589 | 24.7% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 82,246 | 23.2% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 68,320 | 12.7% |
| Barry County, MI | 43,139 | 12.2% |
| Adams County, WI | 39,516 | 9.6% |
| Manistee County, MI | 33,725 | 9.7% |
| Van Buren County, MI | 33,379 | 8.6% |
| Isabella County, MI | 26,384 | 7.2% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 22,857 | 6.4% |
| Waushara County, WI | 15,702 | 3.9% |
| Henderson County, IL | 15,176 | 6.6% |
| Osceola County, MI | 14,949 | 4.1% |
| Portage County, WI | 13,090 | 2.5% |
| Mason County, MI | 11,988 | 3.8% |
| Calhoun County, MI | 11,693 | 2.6% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 10,382 | 3.5% |
| Lee County, IL | 10,321 | 2.3% |
| St. Joseph County, IN | 10,320 | 3.5% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 10,171 | 2.7% |
| Oceana County, MI | 7,907 | 2.3% |
| Ottawa County, MI | 7,874 | 2.2% |
| Wexford County, MI | 6,927 | 1.9% |
| Marshall County, IN | 5,990 | 2.1% |
| Benzie County, MI | 5,571 | 2.7% |
| Cass County, MI | 5,501 | 1.7% |
| Mercer County, IL | 4,839 | 1.4% |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 3,675 | 1.1% |
| Bureau County, IL | 3,188 | 0.6% |
| Ionia County, MI | 3,036 | 0.8% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 2,591 | 0.6% |
| Henry County, IL | 2,258 | 0.4% |
| Ogle County, IL | 1,608 | 0.3% |
| Muskegon County, MI | 1,290 | 0.4% |
| Starke County, IN | 1,233 | 0.6% |
| Tazewell County, IL | 1,036 | 0.3% |
| Woodford County, IL | 1,017 | 0.3% |
| Carroll County, IL | 965 | 0.3% |
| Carroll County, IN | 697 | 0.3% |
| Fountain County, IN | 594 | 0.2% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 428 | 0.1% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 365 | 0.1% |
| Goodhue County, MN | 364 | 0.1% |
| Rock Island County, IL | 348 | 0.1% |
| Bremer County, IA | 343 | 0.1% |
| Jo Daviess County, IL | 238 | 0.1% |
| Columbia County, WI | 78 | 0.0% |
| Waupaca County, WI | 67 | 0.0% |
| Sauk County, WI | 21 | 0.0% |
| Manitowoc County, WI | 11 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Coloma acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.3% |
| Very limited | 99.7% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Coloma acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.8 feet (69 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–14% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.7%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 27.5% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 72.5% |
| 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
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 99.9% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
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 Coloma (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 633,008 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Coloma components. The profile comes from the single largest Coloma component. Full methodology.