Soil series profile
Dormont soil series
Dormont is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 540,057 acres in 30 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 84% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 6.0–6.2
- Mapped area
- 540k acres in 30 counties, 4 states
Typical Dormont profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–11 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.2 | 22% | 13% | 2.6% |
| 11–21 in (Bt1) | Silt loam | 6.0 | 26% | 11% | 0.5% |
| 21–31 in (Bt2) | Silty clay loam | 6.0 | 28% | 14% | 0.3% |
| 31–46 in (Bt3) | Channery silty clay loam | 5.8 | 33% | 10% | 0.3% |
| 46–62 in (Bt4) | Channery silty clay loam | 5.8 | 33% | 10% | 0.2% |
| 62–75 in (BC) | Channery silty clay loam | 5.8 | 38% | 10% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Dormont soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Dormont soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 6.0 and 6.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Dormont acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (100% of mapped Dormont acres).
100% of mapped Dormont acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 100% of the acres in mapped Dormont soils very limited, 0% 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 Dormont soil is found
Mapped acres
Dormont is mapped in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County, PA | 180,960 | 33.1% |
| Greene County, PA | 154,071 | 42.0% |
| Marshall County, WV | 64,606 | 41.6% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 34,943 | 5.3% |
| Fayette County, PA | 33,414 | 6.6% |
| Allegheny County, PA | 31,211 | 6.7% |
| Wayne County, WV | 18,740 | 7.6% |
| Cabell County, WV | 5,810 | 3.8% |
| Monongalia County, WV | 5,049 | 2.7% |
| Marion County, WV | 3,974 | 2.4% |
| Monroe County, OH | 2,287 | 0.8% |
| Indiana County, PA | 1,367 | 0.3% |
| Athens County, OH | 917 | 0.3% |
| Morgan County, OH | 597 | 0.2% |
| Beaver County, PA | 573 | 0.2% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 271 | 0.1% |
| Allegany County, MD | 229 | 0.1% |
| Noble County, OH | 211 | 0.1% |
| Jefferson County, OH | 172 | 0.1% |
| Lincoln County, WV | 151 | 0.1% |
| Coshocton County, OH | 115 | 0.0% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 105 | 0.0% |
| Tuscarawas County, OH | 76 | 0.0% |
| Washington County, OH | 65 | 0.0% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 64 | 0.0% |
| Clarion County, PA | 33 | 0.0% |
| Meigs County, OH | 18 | 0.0% |
| Licking County, OH | 16 | 0.0% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 12 | 0.0% |
| Belmont County, OH | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Dormont acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Dormont acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.5 feet (30 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 1% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 12–35% (median 20%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.6%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 100.0% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 15.3% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 83.6% |
| 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 | 1.1% |
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 Dormont (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 540,057 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Dormont components. The profile comes from the single largest Dormont component. Full methodology.