Soil series profile
Herndon soil series
Herndon is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 544,435 acres in 42 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 4.5–6.0
- Mapped area
- 544k acres in 42 counties, 5 states
Typical Herndon profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 4.5 | 20% | 24% | 0.75% |
| 8–12 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 4.6 | 30% | 15% | 0.25% |
| 12–44 in (Bt2) | Clay | 4.6 | 50% | 15% | 0.25% |
| 44–80 in (C) | Silt loam | 4.6 | 25% | 15% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Herndon soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Herndon soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 4.5 and 6.0). 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 100% of mapped Herndon acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (76% of mapped Herndon acres).
100% of mapped Herndon 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 5% of the acres in mapped Herndon soils very limited, 95% 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 Herndon soil is found
Mapped acres
Herndon is mapped in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, NC | 86,885 | 29.4% |
| Saluda County, SC | 75,578 | 26.9% |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 45,238 | 13.0% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 45,103 | 12.8% |
| Orange County, NC | 35,852 | 14.4% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 29,948 | 9.5% |
| Dinwiddie County, VA | 24,466 | 8.2% |
| McCormick County, SC | 22,285 | 9.9% |
| Granville County, NC | 21,691 | 6.5% |
| Person County, NC | 17,504 | 7.4% |
| Lunenburg County, VA | 13,573 | 5.8% |
| Charlotte County, VA | 13,219 | 5.2% |
| Lincoln County, GA | 12,820 | 9.4% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 12,782 | 3.4% |
| Durham County, NC | 11,758 | 6.6% |
| Richland County, SC | 10,562 | 2.2% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 8,271 | 1.8% |
| Alamance County, NC | 6,968 | 2.6% |
| Halifax County, NC | 6,111 | 1.5% |
| Hancock County, GA | 5,895 | 2.0% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 5,098 | 1.9% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 4,050 | 1.4% |
| Davidson County, NC | 4,007 | 1.2% |
| Lexington County, SC | 3,887 | 0.9% |
| Chatham County, NC | 3,599 | 1.0% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 3,080 | 0.9% |
| Franklin County, NC | 2,431 | 0.8% |
| Wake County, NC | 2,201 | 0.4% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 1,964 | 0.6% |
| Amelia County, VA | 1,860 | 0.9% |
| Halifax County, VA | 1,167 | 0.3% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 1,002 | 0.5% |
| Warren County, NC | 909 | 0.4% |
| Prince Edward County, VA | 674 | 0.3% |
| Campbell County, VA | 502 | 0.2% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 502 | 0.2% |
| Moore County, NC | 412 | 0.1% |
| Nottoway County, VA | 221 | 0.1% |
| York County, SC | 172 | 0.0% |
| Taliaferro County, GA | 160 | 0.1% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 15 | 0.0% |
| Gaston County, NC | 14 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Herndon acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 94.7% |
| Very limited | 5.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Herndon 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 4–12% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
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 | 98.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.6% |
| 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 Herndon (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 544,435 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Herndon components. The profile comes from the single largest Herndon component. Full methodology.