Soil series profile

Howland soil series

Howland is a moderately well drained soil with a gravelly loam surface, mapped on 710,080 acres in 6 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group C/D.

#327 by mapped area coarse-loamy Aquic Haplorthods (Spodosols)

Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Hydrologic group: C/D
Typical topsoil pH: 4.0
Mapped area: 710k

Typical Howland 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 Howland horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–7 in (Ap)	Gravelly loam	4.8	8%	43%	5.5%
7–17 in (Bs)	Gravelly silt loam	5.2	7%	39%	2%
17–25 in (BC)	Gravelly silt loam	5.8	7%	40%	1.25%
25–65 in (Cd)	Gravelly silt loam	5.8	7%	41%	0.3%

Representative values from the most extensive Howland map unit (Howland gravelly loam, 3 to 8 percent slopes, survey area ME607). 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 Howland soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Howland soils is extremely acidic: pH 4.0 (most land between 4.0 and 4.8). 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 100% of mapped Howland acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (56% of mapped Howland acres).

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

For lawns and yards

On 100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Howland soils very limited, 0% 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 Howland soil is found

Mapped acres

Howland is mapped in Maine and New Hampshire.

Counties with the most mapped Howland soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Aroostook County, ME	462,069	10.8%
Penobscot County, ME	134,554	6.3%
Coos County, NH	64,207	7.0%
Piscataquis County, ME	46,087	1.9%
Somerset County, ME	2,374	0.1%
Oxford County, ME	789	0.1%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Howland acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 100%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Howland acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	100.0%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Howland acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 1.7 feet (20 in) (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 6–10% (median 6%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 2.8%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 0%

Moderately well drained 100%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Howland acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	0.0%
Moderately well drained	100.0%
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 0%

C: slow infiltration 4%

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 96%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Howland acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
C: slow infiltration	4.3%
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	95.7%

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 Howland (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 710,080 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Howland components. The profile comes from the single largest Howland component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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