Soil series profile
Downer soil series
Downer is a well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 378,874 acres in 33 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.3 slightly acidic · range 6.0–6.3
- Mapped area
- 379k acres in 33 counties, 5 states
Typical Downer profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Loamy sand | 6.3 | 3% | 81% | 1.25% |
| 10–16 in (BE) | Loamy sand | 6.1 | 5% | 80% | 0.25% |
| 16–28 in (Bt) | Sandy loam | 5.8 | 14% | 71% | 0.1% |
| 28–48 in (C1) | Loamy sand | 4.8 | 3% | 82% | 0% |
| 48–80 in (C2) | Sand | 4.8 | 5% | 94% | 0% |
What this means
What Downer soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Downer soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.3 (most land between 6.0 and 6.3), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Sandy topsoil covers 64% of mapped Downer 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 loamy sand (64% of mapped Downer acres).
98% of mapped Downer acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
98% 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 98% of the acres in mapped Downer soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (2% 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 Downer soil is found
Mapped acres
Downer is mapped in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and District of Columbia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean County, NJ | 72,593 | 14.9% |
| Atlantic County, NJ | 54,288 | 13.5% |
| Cumberland County, NJ | 35,593 | 11.4% |
| Calvert County, MD | 22,868 | 16.8% |
| Sussex County, DE | 21,706 | 4.3% |
| Gloucester County, NJ | 21,192 | 10.3% |
| Burlington County, NJ | 20,336 | 3.8% |
| Camden County, NJ | 17,559 | 12.0% |
| Kent County, DE | 15,817 | 4.4% |
| Salem County, NJ | 13,975 | 7.0% |
| Dorchester County, MD | 13,314 | 3.8% |
| Cape May County, NJ | 11,583 | 7.2% |
| Anne Arundel County, MD | 10,941 | 3.8% |
| Monmouth County, NJ | 10,320 | 3.4% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 9,094 | 3.8% |
| Prince George's County, MD | 7,957 | 2.6% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 7,136 | 3.6% |
| New Castle County, DE | 4,472 | 1.8% |
| Caroline County, MD | 2,214 | 1.1% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 1,200 | 0.8% |
| St. Mary's County, MD | 802 | 0.3% |
| Cecil County, MD | 732 | 0.4% |
| Wicomico County, MD | 672 | 0.3% |
| Kent County, MD | 572 | 0.3% |
| Worcester County, MD | 492 | 0.1% |
| Somerset County, MD | 479 | 0.4% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 459 | 0.1% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 172 | 0.1% |
| Talbot County, MD | 143 | 0.1% |
| Howard County, MD | 134 | 0.1% |
| Harford County, MD | 46 | 0.0% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 7 | 0.0% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 6 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Downer acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 98.3% |
| Not rated | 1.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Downer 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 1–8% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 98.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 1.6% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 97.9% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.5% |
| 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 | 1.6% |
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 Downer (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 378,874 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Downer components. The profile comes from the single largest Downer component. Full methodology.