Soil series profile
Contrary soil series
Contrary is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 164,144 acres in 8 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 63% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.1 slightly acidic · range 5.8–7.1
- Mapped area
- 164k acres in 8 counties, 3 states
Typical Contrary profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.1 | 24% | 3% | 1.5% |
| 8–14 in (BE) | Silt loam | 6.1 | 25% | 3% | 0.75% |
| 14–37 in (Bw) | Silt loam | 6.1 | 26% | 3% | 0.5% |
| 37–45 in (BC) | Silt loam | 6.8 | 22% | 3% | 0.25% |
| 45–79 in (C) | Silt loam | 7.6 | 20% | 3% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Contrary soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Contrary soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.1 (most land between 5.8 and 7.1), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Contrary acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (63% of mapped Contrary acres).
100% of mapped Contrary 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 47% of the acres in mapped Contrary soils very limited, 53% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Contrary soil is found
Mapped acres
Contrary is mapped in Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Doniphan County, KS | 51,335 | 20.5% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 37,686 | 24.7% |
| Douglas County, NE | 22,254 | 10.6% |
| Atchison County, MO | 18,806 | 5.4% |
| Holt County, MO | 15,866 | 5.4% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 15,589 | 6.0% |
| Brown County, KS | 1,532 | 0.4% |
| Washington County, NE | 1,076 | 0.4% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Contrary acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 52.8% |
| Very limited | 47.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Contrary 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 7–22% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.5%.
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 | 62.8% |
| C: slow infiltration | 37.2% |
| 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 Contrary (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 164,144 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Contrary components. The profile comes from the single largest Contrary component. Full methodology.