Soil series profile
Culleoka soil series
Culleoka is a well drained soil with a channery silt loam surface, mapped on 687,704 acres in 56 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.3 slightly acidic · range 5.6–6.6
- Mapped area
- 688k acres in 56 counties, 6 states
Typical Culleoka profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Channery silt loam | 6.3 | 24% | 15% | 2.5% |
| 10–19 in (Bt) | Channery silt loam | 5.6 | 25% | 15% | 0.5% |
| 19–26 in (BC) | Very channery silt loam | 5.5 | 27% | 16% | 0.25% |
| 26–31 in (C) | Very channery silt loam | 5.5 | 24% | 20% | 0.25% |
| 31–41 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Culleoka soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Culleoka soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.3 (most land between 5.6 and 6.6), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 99% of mapped Culleoka acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is channery silt loam (68% of mapped Culleoka acres).
>99% of mapped Culleoka 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 Culleoka soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (1% 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 Culleoka soil is found
Mapped acres
Culleoka is mapped in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, PA | 159,668 | 29.2% |
| Greene County, PA | 105,904 | 28.8% |
| Marshall County, WV | 57,975 | 37.3% |
| Allegheny County, PA | 50,189 | 10.8% |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 45,314 | 8.6% |
| Marion County, WV | 42,601 | 26.2% |
| Monongalia County, WV | 36,145 | 19.1% |
| Fayette County, PA | 33,204 | 6.6% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 23,679 | 3.6% |
| Madison County, KY | 18,900 | 6.7% |
| Garrard County, KY | 15,967 | 10.8% |
| Belmont County, OH | 14,309 | 4.2% |
| Taylor County, WV | 12,170 | 13.7% |
| Carroll County, OH | 10,942 | 4.3% |
| Adair County, KY | 9,381 | 3.6% |
| Clark County, KY | 7,217 | 4.5% |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 4,011 | 0.8% |
| Giles County, TN | 3,899 | 1.0% |
| Indiana County, PA | 3,640 | 0.7% |
| Beaver County, PA | 3,630 | 1.3% |
| Craig County, VA | 3,474 | 4.2% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 3,249 | 2.9% |
| Bland County, VA | 3,087 | 2.2% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 2,912 | 0.9% |
| Bucks County, PA | 2,082 | 0.5% |
| Morgan County, OH | 1,638 | 0.6% |
| Hardin County, TN | 1,489 | 0.4% |
| Boyle County, KY | 1,322 | 1.1% |
| Jefferson County, OH | 1,151 | 0.4% |
| Coshocton County, OH | 924 | 0.3% |
| Jackson County, WV | 865 | 0.4% |
| Monroe County, WV | 817 | 0.3% |
| Tuscarawas County, OH | 703 | 0.2% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 698 | 0.2% |
| Mercer County, WV | 698 | 0.3% |
| Noble County, OH | 520 | 0.2% |
| Lincoln County, KY | 422 | 0.2% |
| Fayette County, KY | 420 | 0.2% |
| Summers County, WV | 410 | 0.2% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 394 | 0.1% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 385 | 0.1% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 316 | 0.1% |
| Harrison County, OH | 310 | 0.1% |
| Athens County, OH | 147 | 0.0% |
| Clarion County, PA | 126 | 0.0% |
| Woodford County, KY | 116 | 0.1% |
| Wise County, VA | 110 | 0.1% |
| Monroe County, OH | 79 | 0.0% |
| Perry County, OH | 20 | 0.0% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 19 | 0.0% |
| Licking County, OH | 16 | 0.0% |
| Butler County, PA | 14 | 0.0% |
| Harrison County, WV | 9 | 0.0% |
| Stark County, OH | 8 | 0.0% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 8 | 0.0% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 3 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Culleoka acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 98.6% |
| Not rated | 1.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Culleoka 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 9–45% (median 20%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.6% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 98.6% |
| 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 | 1.4% |
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 Culleoka (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 687,704 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Culleoka components. The profile comes from the single largest Culleoka component. Full methodology.