Soil series profile
Etowah soil series
Etowah is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 376,777 acres in 75 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.5
- Mapped area
- 377k acres in 75 counties, 4 states
Typical Etowah profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (Ap) | Loam | 5.0 | 21% | 42% | 2% |
| 4–38 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 5.0 | 29% | 19% | 0.25% |
| 38–80 in (Bt2) | Silty clay loam | 5.0 | 39% | 7% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Etowah soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Etowah soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 5.0 and 5.5). 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 98% of mapped Etowah acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (50% of mapped Etowah acres).
99% of mapped Etowah 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 17% of the acres in mapped Etowah soils very limited, 81% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (2% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Etowah soil is found
Mapped acres
Etowah is mapped in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. The 60 counties with the most Etowah acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, TN | 26,937 | 10.2% |
| Hardin County, TN | 23,599 | 6.4% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 20,416 | 5.3% |
| Grainger County, TN | 15,079 | 8.3% |
| Franklin County, TN | 14,660 | 4.2% |
| Jackson County, AL | 14,648 | 2.5% |
| Maury County, TN | 13,629 | 3.5% |
| Overton County, TN | 11,001 | 4.0% |
| Floyd County, GA | 10,550 | 3.4% |
| Bartow County, GA | 10,413 | 3.5% |
| Shelby County, AL | 9,266 | 2.1% |
| Jefferson County, TN | 9,175 | 5.2% |
| McMinn County, TN | 9,107 | 3.3% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 8,554 | 2.5% |
| Madison County, AL | 7,970 | 1.8% |
| Washington County, TN | 7,923 | 3.8% |
| Pickett County, TN | 7,215 | 6.7% |
| Knox County, TN | 7,073 | 2.2% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 6,677 | 1.8% |
| Monroe County, TN | 6,527 | 1.6% |
| Blount County, TN | 6,205 | 1.8% |
| Bledsoe County, TN | 6,141 | 2.4% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 5,892 | 2.1% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 5,868 | 1.9% |
| Greene County, TN | 5,468 | 1.5% |
| Walker County, GA | 5,389 | 1.9% |
| Polk County, GA | 4,994 | 2.6% |
| Marion County, TN | 4,958 | 1.5% |
| Roane County, TN | 4,956 | 2.2% |
| Jefferson County, AL | 4,822 | 0.8% |
| White County, TN | 4,820 | 2.0% |
| Fentress County, TN | 4,441 | 1.4% |
| Limestone County, AL | 4,278 | 1.3% |
| Gordon County, GA | 4,264 | 2.3% |
| Bradley County, TN | 4,161 | 2.0% |
| Loudon County, TN | 3,995 | 2.7% |
| Lawrence County, TN | 3,957 | 1.0% |
| Meigs County, TN | 3,440 | 2.7% |
| Colbert County, AL | 3,325 | 1.0% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 3,315 | 0.9% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 2,912 | 1.5% |
| Morgan County, AL | 2,689 | 0.8% |
| Coffee County, TN | 2,611 | 1.0% |
| Sevier County, TN | 2,533 | 0.7% |
| Rhea County, TN | 2,461 | 1.2% |
| Anderson County, TN | 2,379 | 1.1% |
| Hamblen County, TN | 2,219 | 2.1% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 1,986 | 0.6% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 1,700 | 0.4% |
| Dade County, GA | 1,604 | 1.5% |
| Warren County, TN | 1,578 | 0.6% |
| Grundy County, TN | 1,542 | 0.7% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 1,453 | 1.4% |
| Williamson County, TN | 1,216 | 0.3% |
| Sumner County, TN | 1,212 | 0.4% |
| Adair County, KY | 1,161 | 0.4% |
| Calhoun County, AL | 1,148 | 0.3% |
| Union County, TN | 1,126 | 0.8% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 1,064 | 0.6% |
| Campbell County, TN | 1,011 | 0.3% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Etowah acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 81.3% |
| Very limited | 17.1% |
| Not rated | 1.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Etowah acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 2% of acres (2% occasional, 0% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 4–16% (median 7%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 98.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 1.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 98.0% |
| 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 | 1.9% |
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 Etowah (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 376,777 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Etowah components. The profile comes from the single largest Etowah component. Full methodology.