Soil series profile
Evard soil series
Evard is a well drained soil with a gravelly sandy loam surface, mapped on 823,235 acres in 41 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.3
- Mapped area
- 823k acres in 41 counties, 5 states
Typical Evard profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (A) | Gravelly sandy loam | 5.0 | 17% | 69% | 4% |
| 8–29 in (Bt) | Clay loam | 5.0 | 30% | 37% | 0.5% |
| 29–35 in (BC) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 27% | 56% | 0.2% |
| 35–80 in (C) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 16% | 68% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Evard soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Evard soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.0 and 5.3). 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 >99% of mapped Evard acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (30% of mapped Evard acres).
100% of mapped Evard 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 96% of the acres in mapped Evard soils very limited, 4% 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 Evard soil is found
Mapped acres
Evard is mapped in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Wilkes County, NC | 67,904 | 14.8% |
| Oconee County, SC | 66,397 | 16.4% |
| McDowell County, NC | 59,875 | 22.8% |
| Fannin County, GA | 52,605 | 23.2% |
| Macon County, NC | 51,341 | 16.2% |
| Buncombe County, NC | 50,635 | 12.9% |
| Ashe County, NC | 43,717 | 19.4% |
| Union County, GA | 41,152 | 21.7% |
| Henderson County, NC | 34,952 | 15.8% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 32,546 | 9.8% |
| Jackson County, NC | 29,134 | 9.9% |
| Caldwell County, NC | 27,457 | 9.1% |
| Transylvania County, NC | 21,392 | 9.4% |
| Burke County, NC | 20,449 | 6.5% |
| Greenville County, SC | 20,112 | 4.0% |
| Haywood County, NC | 18,736 | 5.4% |
| Pickens County, SC | 17,588 | 5.6% |
| Madison County, NC | 17,474 | 6.5% |
| Polk County, TN | 15,683 | 5.6% |
| Patrick County, VA | 14,757 | 5.4% |
| Clay County, NC | 13,596 | 10.3% |
| Alexander County, NC | 11,425 | 7.0% |
| Rabun County, GA | 10,650 | 4.6% |
| Polk County, NC | 9,583 | 6.9% |
| Yancey County, NC | 9,500 | 5.4% |
| Bartow County, GA | 7,670 | 2.6% |
| Swain County, NC | 7,642 | 2.2% |
| Mitchell County, NC | 6,648 | 5.3% |
| Alleghany County, NC | 5,714 | 4.6% |
| Roanoke County, VA | 4,881 | 4.0% |
| Towns County, GA | 4,530 | 4.3% |
| Surry County, NC | 4,114 | 1.3% |
| Habersham County, GA | 3,255 | 1.8% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 2,900 | 1.0% |
| Watauga County, NC | 2,208 | 1.2% |
| Iredell County, NC | 1,899 | 0.5% |
| Yadkin County, NC | 1,757 | 0.9% |
| Unicoi County, TN | 1,303 | 1.1% |
| Roanoke city, VA | 80 | 0.4% |
| Franklin County, VA | 23 | 0.0% |
| Grayson County, VA | 4 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Evard acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 4.0% |
| Very limited | 96.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Evard 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 18–45% (median 35%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
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 | 99.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.3% |
| 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 Evard (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 823,235 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Evard components. The profile comes from the single largest Evard component. Full methodology.