Soil series profile
Faceville soil series
Faceville is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 672,419 acres in 92 counties across 7 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 93% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.3
- Mapped area
- 672k acres in 92 counties, 7 states
Typical Faceville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 5.3 | 13% | 68% | 1.25% |
| 7–18 in (Bt1) | Sandy clay | 5.3 | 40% | 48% | 0.25% |
| 18–30 in (Bt2) | Sandy clay | 5.3 | 40% | 48% | 0.25% |
| 30–42 in (Bt3) | Sandy clay | 5.3 | 40% | 48% | 0.25% |
| 42–54 in (Bt4) | Sandy clay | 5.3 | 40% | 52% | 0.25% |
| 54–80 in (Bt5) | Sandy clay | 5.3 | 42% | 52% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Faceville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Faceville 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 75% of mapped Faceville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (54% of mapped Faceville acres).
>99% of mapped Faceville 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 6% of the acres in mapped Faceville soils very limited, 89% somewhat limited and 5% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Faceville soil is found
Mapped acres
Faceville is mapped in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. The 60 counties with the most Faceville acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Houston County, GA | 52,735 | 22.3% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 37,746 | 12.9% |
| Washington County, GA | 34,525 | 9.2% |
| Burke County, GA | 28,330 | 6.1% |
| Thomas County, GA | 25,463 | 8.6% |
| Randolph County, GA | 24,415 | 10.5% |
| Peach County, GA | 23,460 | 24.9% |
| Dooly County, GA | 22,272 | 9.9% |
| Macon County, GA | 19,073 | 8.5% |
| Early County, GA | 18,294 | 6.1% |
| Leon County, FL | 16,635 | 3.9% |
| Grady County, GA | 16,101 | 6.7% |
| Calhoun County, SC | 16,061 | 6.9% |
| Calhoun County, GA | 15,428 | 9.4% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 14,993 | 1.6% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 14,255 | 4.5% |
| Jackson County, FL | 13,986 | 2.4% |
| Henry County, AL | 13,744 | 4.5% |
| Elmore County, AL | 12,990 | 3.6% |
| Decatur County, GA | 11,832 | 3.7% |
| Sumter County, GA | 11,164 | 4.0% |
| Terrell County, GA | 10,306 | 5.1% |
| Laurens County, GA | 9,867 | 2.2% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 9,654 | 1.4% |
| Nash County, NC | 9,407 | 2.9% |
| Jefferson County, FL | 8,805 | 2.3% |
| Crawford County, GA | 8,480 | 4.1% |
| Clay County, GA | 8,103 | 7.6% |
| Pulaski County, GA | 7,699 | 5.7% |
| Houston County, AL | 7,229 | 2.2% |
| Clarendon County, SC | 6,920 | 1.8% |
| Johnston County, NC | 6,112 | 1.3% |
| Saluda County, SC | 5,902 | 2.1% |
| Sampson County, NC | 5,898 | 1.0% |
| Quitman County, GA | 5,873 | 6.8% |
| Sumter County, SC | 5,848 | 1.4% |
| Marlboro County, SC | 5,840 | 2.0% |
| Dillon County, SC | 5,410 | 2.1% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 5,336 | 1.4% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 5,234 | 1.1% |
| Lee County, GA | 5,170 | 2.5% |
| Aiken County, SC | 5,127 | 0.7% |
| Bleckley County, GA | 4,970 | 4.2% |
| Brooks County, GA | 4,788 | 1.8% |
| Hanover County, VA | 4,683 | 1.8% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 4,556 | 2.1% |
| Webster County, GA | 3,733 | 3.3% |
| Twiggs County, GA | 3,690 | 1.7% |
| Madison County, FL | 3,638 | 0.8% |
| Richland County, SC | 3,417 | 0.7% |
| Robeson County, NC | 3,382 | 0.6% |
| Schley County, GA | 3,231 | 3.4% |
| Baker County, GA | 3,120 | 1.6% |
| Stewart County, GA | 3,068 | 1.2% |
| Gadsden County, FL | 2,880 | 0.9% |
| Johnson County, GA | 2,838 | 1.7% |
| Bibb County, GA | 2,415 | 1.5% |
| Wilkinson County, GA | 2,404 | 1.0% |
| Lee County, SC | 1,917 | 0.7% |
| Autauga County, AL | 1,783 | 0.6% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Faceville acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 4.6% |
| Somewhat limited | 88.8% |
| Very limited | 6.4% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Faceville 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 1–7% (median 4%).
- 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 | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 4.2% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 93.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 2.5% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Faceville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 672,419 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Faceville components. The profile comes from the single largest Faceville component. Full methodology.