Soil series profile
Heidel soil series
Heidel is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 258,116 acres in 24 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 53% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.0
- Mapped area
- 258k acres in 24 counties, 3 states
Typical Heidel profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (H1) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 6% | 64% | 1.25% |
| 8–59 in (H2) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 14% | 67% | 0.25% |
| 59–78 in (H3) | Loam | 5.0 | 20% | 42% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Heidel soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Heidel soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0. 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 51% of mapped Heidel acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (62% of mapped Heidel acres).
100% of mapped Heidel acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
47% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 91% of the acres in mapped Heidel soils very limited, 10% 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 Heidel soil is found
Mapped acres
Heidel is mapped in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile County, AL | 58,820 | 8.4% |
| Forrest County, MS | 39,159 | 14.0% |
| Autauga County, AL | 29,146 | 9.6% |
| Jasper County, MS | 28,891 | 7.0% |
| Wayne County, MS | 26,159 | 5.4% |
| Greene County, MS | 17,812 | 3.9% |
| Smith County, MS | 15,709 | 3.9% |
| Jones County, MS | 9,292 | 2.2% |
| Perry County, MS | 8,556 | 2.1% |
| Lamar County, MS | 8,089 | 2.6% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 5,271 | 1.4% |
| Washington County, AL | 3,412 | 0.6% |
| George County, MS | 1,926 | 0.7% |
| Simpson County, MS | 1,760 | 0.5% |
| Winston County, MS | 1,212 | 0.3% |
| Kemper County, MS | 757 | 0.2% |
| Clarke County, MS | 554 | 0.1% |
| Jackson County, MS | 516 | 0.1% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 400 | 0.0% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 367 | 0.1% |
| Stone County, MS | 156 | 0.1% |
| Escambia County, FL | 106 | 0.0% |
| Covington County, MS | 27 | 0.0% |
| Scott County, MS | 19 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Heidel acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 9.5% |
| Very limited | 90.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Heidel 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 4–26% (median 19%).
- 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 | 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) | 46.6% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 53.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 Heidel (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 258,116 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Heidel components. The profile comes from the single largest Heidel component. Full methodology.