Soil series profile
Colton soil series
Colton is a excessively drained soil with a gravelly loamy sand surface, mapped on 566,362 acres in 48 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 95% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 4.8–5.0
- Mapped area
- 566k acres in 48 counties, 5 states
Typical Colton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Gravelly loamy sand | 4.8 | 5% | 79% | 4% |
| 6–20 in (H2) | Very gravelly sand | 5.2 | 2% | 97% | 1% |
| 20–72 in (H3) | Very gravelly sand | 5.4 | 2% | 97% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Colton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Colton soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 4.8 and 5.0). 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 58% of mapped Colton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly sandy loam (55% of mapped Colton acres).
>99% of mapped Colton acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
95% 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 95% of the acres in mapped Colton soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (5% 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 Colton soil is found
Mapped acres
Colton is mapped in New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| St. Lawrence County, NY | 50,227 | 2.9% |
| Penobscot County, ME | 36,981 | 1.7% |
| York County, ME | 35,132 | 5.5% |
| Washington County, ME | 34,615 | 2.2% |
| Lewis County, NY | 34,011 | 4.2% |
| Franklin County, NY | 31,815 | 3.0% |
| Hancock County, ME | 24,752 | 2.5% |
| Oswego County, NY | 23,637 | 3.9% |
| Aroostook County, ME | 19,207 | 0.5% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 18,864 | 3.4% |
| Carroll County, NH | 18,753 | 4.3% |
| Grafton County, NH | 18,695 | 2.5% |
| Oxford County, ME | 18,476 | 1.4% |
| Hamilton County, NY | 16,699 | 1.5% |
| Essex County, NY | 14,662 | 1.3% |
| Somerset County, ME | 14,541 | 0.6% |
| Clinton County, NY | 12,974 | 2.0% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 12,859 | 1.4% |
| Worcester County, MA | 11,552 | 1.2% |
| Franklin County, ME | 11,147 | 1.0% |
| Lamoille County, VT | 9,647 | 3.3% |
| Addison County, VT | 9,166 | 1.9% |
| Cheshire County, NH | 8,012 | 1.8% |
| Washington County, VT | 7,517 | 1.7% |
| Coos County, NH | 7,418 | 0.8% |
| Windham County, VT | 7,279 | 1.4% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 6,787 | 1.1% |
| Windsor County, VT | 6,476 | 1.0% |
| Rutland County, VT | 5,827 | 1.0% |
| Sullivan County, NH | 5,687 | 1.7% |
| Orleans County, VT | 3,886 | 0.9% |
| Oneida County, NY | 3,563 | 0.5% |
| Franklin County, VT | 3,544 | 0.9% |
| Piscataquis County, ME | 2,974 | 0.1% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 2,841 | 0.6% |
| Essex County, VT | 2,446 | 0.6% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 2,260 | 0.7% |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 2,121 | 0.7% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 1,961 | 0.5% |
| Belknap County, NH | 1,956 | 0.8% |
| Fulton County, NY | 1,928 | 0.6% |
| Bennington County, VT | 1,745 | 0.4% |
| Cumberland County, ME | 597 | 0.1% |
| Franklin County, MA | 383 | 0.1% |
| Waldo County, ME | 261 | 0.1% |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 202 | 0.1% |
| Knox County, ME | 169 | 0.1% |
| Lincoln County, ME | 112 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Colton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 95.4% |
| Not rated | 4.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Colton acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.9 feet (71 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 5–30% (median 11%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 99.6% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 95.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.1% |
| 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 | 4.6% |
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 Colton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 566,362 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Colton components. The profile comes from the single largest Colton component. Full methodology.