Soil series profile
Gaviota soil series
Gaviota is a well drained soil with a gravelly loam surface, mapped on 408,037 acres in 19 counties in CA. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 70% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 93% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.5 slightly acidic · range 6.1–6.8
- Mapped area
- 408k acres in 19 counties, 1 state
Typical Gaviota profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (A1) | Gravelly loam | 6.5 | 14% | 45% | 0.75% |
| 5–19 in (A2) | Gravelly loam | 6.5 | 14% | 45% | 0.75% |
| 19–29 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Gaviota soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Gaviota soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.5 (most land between 6.1 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 92% of mapped Gaviota acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly loam (46% of mapped Gaviota acres).
95% of mapped Gaviota acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 94% 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 94% of the acres in mapped Gaviota soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (6% 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 Gaviota soil is found
Mapped acres
Gaviota is mapped in California.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County, CA | 179,455 | 21.4% |
| San Benito County, CA | 36,812 | 4.1% |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 33,022 | 2.1% |
| Monterey County, CA | 30,566 | 1.4% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 19,270 | 1.7% |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 18,302 | 1.9% |
| San Diego County, CA | 15,178 | 0.7% |
| Kern County, CA | 11,315 | 0.2% |
| Alameda County, CA | 11,253 | 2.4% |
| Fresno County, CA | 9,869 | 0.2% |
| Kings County, CA | 8,241 | 0.9% |
| Ventura County, CA | 7,944 | 1.2% |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 6,327 | 0.2% |
| Shasta County, CA | 4,410 | 0.2% |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 3,187 | 0.7% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 2,851 | 0.1% |
| Solano County, CA | 1,032 | 0.2% |
| Riverside County, CA | 1,001 | 0.0% |
| Orange County, CA | 90 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Gaviota acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 94.1% |
| Not rated | 5.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Gaviota 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 25–60% (median 50%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.5% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 23.9% |
| Well drained | 70.3% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 5.2% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.4% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 93.3% |
| 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 | 5.9% |
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 Gaviota (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 408,037 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Gaviota components. The profile comes from the single largest Gaviota component. Full methodology.