Soil series profile
Glenelg soil series
Glenelg is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 767,318 acres in 40 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 97% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.4 strongly acidic · range 5.0–6.2
- Mapped area
- 767k acres in 40 counties, 5 states
Typical Glenelg profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 5.4 | 20% | 20% | 2.5% |
| 8–18 in (Bt1) | Clay loam | 5.7 | 29% | 26% | 0.12% |
| 18–30 in (Bt2) | Clay loam | 5.7 | 28% | 27% | 0.1% |
| 30–42 in (BCt) | Loam | 5.6 | 25% | 42% | 0.05% |
| 42–54 in (CBt) | Loam | 5.6 | 24% | 38% | 0.01% |
| 54–76 in (C) | Channery fine sandy loam | 5.4 | 4% | 68% | 0.01% |
What this means
What Glenelg soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Glenelg soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.4 (most land between 5.0 and 6.2). 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 100% of mapped Glenelg acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (43% of mapped Glenelg acres).
100% of mapped Glenelg 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 57% of the acres in mapped Glenelg soils very limited, 43% 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 Glenelg soil is found
Mapped acres
Glenelg is mapped in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware and District of Columbia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Chester County, PA | 76,485 | 16.0% |
| York County, PA | 70,476 | 12.3% |
| Carroll County, MD | 68,554 | 23.9% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 68,486 | 21.5% |
| Floyd County, VA | 63,499 | 30.7% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 63,324 | 17.0% |
| Harford County, MD | 44,044 | 16.1% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 42,171 | 18.8% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 41,478 | 6.9% |
| Howard County, MD | 41,095 | 25.6% |
| Grayson County, VA | 26,269 | 11.6% |
| Delaware County, PA | 25,264 | 17.9% |
| Cecil County, MD | 24,026 | 11.9% |
| Carroll County, VA | 21,628 | 8.0% |
| Frederick County, MD | 17,635 | 4.2% |
| New Castle County, DE | 15,211 | 6.0% |
| Culpeper County, VA | 11,586 | 5.6% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 10,502 | 2.8% |
| Fauquier County, VA | 7,984 | 2.2% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 5,870 | 2.9% |
| Adams County, PA | 4,802 | 1.5% |
| Prince William County, VA | 2,787 | 1.5% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 2,690 | 0.9% |
| Loudoun County, VA | 2,682 | 0.9% |
| Arlington County, VA | 2,288 | 14.7% |
| Greene County, VA | 1,058 | 1.2% |
| Orange County, VA | 1,039 | 0.6% |
| Fairfax city, VA | 754 | 22.1% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 733 | 1.9% |
| Madison County, VA | 702 | 0.4% |
| Nelson County, VA | 594 | 0.2% |
| Prince George's County, MD | 434 | 0.1% |
| Charlottesville city, VA | 310 | 5.2% |
| Philadelphia County, PA | 255 | 0.3% |
| Falls Church city, VA | 227 | 19.6% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 182 | 0.1% |
| Bucks County, PA | 90 | 0.0% |
| Berks County, PA | 78 | 0.0% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 14 | 0.0% |
| Northampton County, PA | 12 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Glenelg acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 43.1% |
| Very limited | 56.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Glenelg 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 6–20% (median 11%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.5%.
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 | 96.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 3.3% |
| 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 Glenelg (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 767,318 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Glenelg components. The profile comes from the single largest Glenelg component. Full methodology.