Soil series profile
Harvey soil series
Harvey is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 719,556 acres in 13 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 91% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.9 moderately alkaline · range 7.9–7.9
- Mapped area
- 720k acres in 13 counties, 3 states
Typical Harvey profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–11 in (H1) | Loam | 7.9 | 20% | 42% | 1.5% |
| 11–60 in (H2) | Loam | 8.2 | 27% | 38% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Harvey soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Harvey soils is moderately alkaline: pH 7.9. Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 88% of mapped Harvey acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (49% of mapped Harvey acres).
>99% of mapped Harvey 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 Harvey soils very limited, 93% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Harvey soil is found
Mapped acres
Harvey is mapped in New Mexico, Montana and Colorado.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Torrance County, NM | 216,373 | 10.2% |
| Socorro County, NM | 157,741 | 4.4% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 115,631 | 4.3% |
| Guadalupe County, NM | 94,323 | 4.9% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 30,436 | 1.5% |
| Baca County, CO | 24,114 | 1.5% |
| Carbon County, MT | 23,312 | 1.9% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 17,999 | 0.4% |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 15,462 | 1.5% |
| Cibola County, NM | 10,952 | 0.4% |
| Valencia County, NM | 10,574 | 1.5% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 2,584 | 0.2% |
| Prowers County, CO | 54 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Harvey acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 93.0% |
| Very limited | 6.1% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Harvey 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 3–6% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.2% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 91.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 8.2% |
| 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 | 0.8% |
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 Harvey (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 719,556 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Harvey components. The profile comes from the single largest Harvey component. Full methodology.