Soil series profile

Hortonville soil series

Hortonville is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 247,168 acres in 8 counties in WI. Hydrologic group C.

#1430 by mapped area fine-loamy Haplic Glossudalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: C
Typical topsoil pH: 6.7
Mapped area: 247k

Typical Hortonville profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Hortonville horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–8 in (Ap)	Silt loam	6.7	14%	30%	2%
8–14 in (E/B)	Silt loam	6.7	13%	32%	0.55%
14–27 in (Bt)	Silty clay loam	6.7	32%	18%	0.55%
27–79 in (C)	Loam	7.9	21%	42%	0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Hortonville map unit (Hortonville silt loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes, survey area WI087). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Hortonville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Hortonville soils is neutral: pH 6.7 (most land between 6.1 and 6.7), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Hortonville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (69% of mapped Hortonville acres).

100% of mapped Hortonville acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

On 99% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 99% of the acres in mapped Hortonville soils very limited, <1% 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Hortonville soil is found

Mapped acres

Hortonville is mapped in Wisconsin.

Counties with the most mapped Hortonville soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Outagamie County, WI	70,812	17.3%
Waupaca County, WI	58,797	12.3%
Kewaunee County, WI	43,970	20.0%
Manitowoc County, WI	41,502	11.0%
Winnebago County, WI	20,742	7.4%
Waushara County, WI	9,112	2.3%
Calumet County, WI	1,692	0.8%
Adams County, WI	542	0.1%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Hortonville acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited <1%

Very limited 99%

Not rated <1%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Hortonville acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Hortonville acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.7%
Very limited	98.5%
Not rated	0.8%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Hortonville 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 4–9% (median 4%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Hortonville acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Hortonville acres.
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration <1%

C: slow infiltration 99%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Not rated <1%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Hortonville acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Hortonville acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	0.7%
C: slow infiltration	98.5%
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 Hortonville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 247,168 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Hortonville components. The profile comes from the single largest Hortonville component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Hortonville.