Soil series profile
Havre soil series
Havre is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 934,605 acres in 52 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 95% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 83% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.9 moderately alkaline · range 7.3–7.9
- Mapped area
- 935k acres in 52 counties, 5 states
Typical Havre profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (A) | Loam | 7.9 | 16% | 44% | 1.25% |
| 10–79 in (C) | Stratified fine sandy loam to clay loam | 7.9 | 24% | 63% | 0.75% |
What this means
What Havre soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Havre soils is moderately alkaline: pH 7.9 (most land between 7.3 and 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 97% of mapped Havre acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (78% of mapped Havre acres).
98% of mapped Havre 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 48% of the acres in mapped Havre soils very limited, 52% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Flooding is mapped on 95% of the acres (34% occasional, 12% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Havre soil is found
Mapped acres
Havre is mapped in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota and Colorado.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Custer County, MT | 71,960 | 2.9% |
| Garfield County, MT | 67,085 | 2.3% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 65,302 | 1.3% |
| Phillips County, MT | 56,688 | 1.5% |
| Fremont County, WY | 49,592 | 1.5% |
| Valley County, MT | 48,950 | 1.5% |
| Blaine County, MT | 46,339 | 1.7% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 44,236 | 1.0% |
| Treasure County, MT | 35,275 | 5.6% |
| Dawson County, MT | 34,004 | 2.2% |
| Meade County, SD | 29,912 | 1.3% |
| Chouteau County, MT | 27,774 | 1.1% |
| Musselshell County, MT | 27,214 | 2.3% |
| Carter County, MT | 26,030 | 1.4% |
| Fallon County, MT | 24,683 | 2.4% |
| Petroleum County, MT | 23,159 | 2.2% |
| Hill County, MT | 21,403 | 1.2% |
| Fergus County, MT | 20,419 | 0.8% |
| Golden Valley County, MT | 15,854 | 2.2% |
| Stillwater County, MT | 15,652 | 1.4% |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 14,795 | 0.7% |
| McCone County, MT | 14,535 | 0.9% |
| Madison County, MT | 13,144 | 0.6% |
| Teton County, MT | 13,071 | 1.0% |
| Prairie County, MT | 13,013 | 1.2% |
| Liberty County, MT | 11,081 | 1.2% |
| Slope County, ND | 7,928 | 1.0% |
| Pondera County, MT | 7,548 | 0.7% |
| Harding County, SD | 7,192 | 0.4% |
| Cascade County, MT | 7,076 | 0.5% |
| Wheatland County, MT | 7,031 | 0.8% |
| Carbon County, WY | 6,819 | 0.1% |
| Toole County, MT | 6,398 | 0.6% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 5,525 | 0.3% |
| Billings County, ND | 5,306 | 0.7% |
| Roosevelt County, MT | 4,775 | 0.3% |
| Bowman County, ND | 4,417 | 0.6% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 3,256 | 0.5% |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | 2,648 | 0.2% |
| Powder River County, MT | 2,617 | 0.1% |
| Broadwater County, MT | 2,403 | 0.3% |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | 2,282 | 0.1% |
| Dunn County, ND | 1,756 | 0.1% |
| Gallatin County, MT | 1,659 | 0.1% |
| Jefferson County, MT | 729 | 0.1% |
| Park County, WY | 711 | 0.0% |
| Daniels County, MT | 566 | 0.1% |
| Beaverhead County, MT | 554 | 0.0% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 509 | 0.0% |
| Campbell County, WY | 220 | 0.0% |
| Judith Basin County, MT | 4 | 0.0% |
| Silver Bow County, MT | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Havre acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 52.3% |
| Very limited | 47.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Havre acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 95% of acres (34% occasional, 12% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–2% (median 1%).
- 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 | 95.3% |
| Moderately well drained | 2.6% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 2.1% |
| 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 | 83.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 16.9% |
| 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 Havre (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 934,605 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Havre components. The profile comes from the single largest Havre component. Full methodology.