Soil series profile
Hiwassee soil series
Hiwassee is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 355,950 acres in 67 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.5–5.8
- Mapped area
- 356k acres in 67 counties, 5 states
Typical Hiwassee profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 5.8 | 14% | 71% | 1.25% |
| 5–62 in (Bt) | Clay | 5.5 | 48% | 37% | 0.2% |
| 62–79 in (C) | Clay loam | 5.6 | 30% | 35% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Hiwassee soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Hiwassee soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.5 and 5.8). 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 77% of mapped Hiwassee acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (64% of mapped Hiwassee acres).
100% of mapped Hiwassee 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 7% of the acres in mapped Hiwassee soils very limited, 94% 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 Hiwassee soil is found
Mapped acres
Hiwassee is mapped in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina. The 60 counties with the most Hiwassee acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson County, SC | 46,887 | 10.3% |
| Greenville County, SC | 38,243 | 7.6% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 25,457 | 9.5% |
| Abbeville County, SC | 25,188 | 8.4% |
| Oconee County, SC | 24,057 | 6.0% |
| Union County, SC | 21,105 | 6.5% |
| McCormick County, SC | 19,401 | 8.6% |
| Pickens County, SC | 13,050 | 4.2% |
| Laurens County, SC | 12,489 | 2.8% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 12,092 | 3.2% |
| Lumpkin County, GA | 11,485 | 6.3% |
| Lee County, AL | 9,628 | 2.8% |
| Cobb County, GA | 7,590 | 3.5% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 7,063 | 2.2% |
| Newton County, GA | 6,705 | 3.8% |
| Chester County, SC | 5,825 | 1.6% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 4,769 | 1.9% |
| White County, GA | 4,715 | 3.1% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 3,876 | 1.3% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 3,800 | 1.4% |
| Dawson County, GA | 3,525 | 2.6% |
| Clarke County, GA | 3,385 | 4.4% |
| Campbell County, VA | 2,799 | 0.9% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 2,799 | 0.9% |
| Franklin County, GA | 2,435 | 1.5% |
| Habersham County, GA | 2,405 | 1.4% |
| Hall County, GA | 2,330 | 0.9% |
| Madison County, VA | 2,088 | 1.2% |
| Fluvanna County, VA | 2,048 | 1.3% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 1,865 | 1.3% |
| Oconee County, GA | 1,805 | 1.5% |
| Polk County, NC | 1,637 | 1.2% |
| Jackson County, GA | 1,595 | 0.7% |
| Rappahannock County, VA | 1,385 | 0.9% |
| Walton County, GA | 1,300 | 0.6% |
| Clay County, AL | 1,293 | 0.4% |
| Cherokee County, GA | 1,280 | 0.5% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 1,260 | 0.4% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 1,220 | 0.4% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 1,180 | 0.7% |
| Anson County, NC | 1,172 | 0.4% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 1,125 | 0.4% |
| Chilton County, AL | 1,004 | 0.3% |
| Stanly County, NC | 821 | 0.4% |
| Aiken County, SC | 780 | 0.1% |
| Richmond County, NC | 731 | 0.3% |
| Pickens County, GA | 725 | 0.5% |
| Harris County, GA | 724 | 0.2% |
| Iredell County, NC | 707 | 0.2% |
| Fulton County, GA | 546 | 0.2% |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 542 | 0.2% |
| Saluda County, SC | 505 | 0.2% |
| Hart County, GA | 445 | 0.3% |
| Goochland County, VA | 411 | 0.3% |
| Marion County, SC | 380 | 0.1% |
| Chambers County, AL | 371 | 0.1% |
| Muscogee County, GA | 320 | 0.2% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 305 | 0.4% |
| Barrow County, GA | 225 | 0.2% |
| Madison County, GA | 220 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Hiwassee acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 93.5% |
| Very limited | 6.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Hiwassee 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 4–13% (median 8%).
- 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) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 99.8% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.2% |
| 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% |
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 Hiwassee (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 355,950 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Hiwassee components. The profile comes from the single largest Hiwassee component. Full methodology.