Soil series profile
Josephine soil series
Josephine is a well drained soil with a gravelly loam surface, mapped on 363,876 acres in 19 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 97% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 55% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.6–6.1
- Mapped area
- 364k acres in 19 counties, 2 states
Typical Josephine profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 in (Oe) | Moderately decomposed plant material | 4.5 | 15% | 35% | 75% |
| 2–11 in (H1) | Gravelly loam | 5.8 | 23% | 40% | 4.5% |
| 11–59 in (H2) | Clay loam | 5.5 | 31% | 35% | 1.55% |
| 59–69 in (H3) | Weathered bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Josephine soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Josephine soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8 (most land between 5.6 and 6.1). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 92% of mapped Josephine acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly loam (69% of mapped Josephine acres).
97% of mapped Josephine acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 56% 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 96% of the acres in mapped Josephine soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (3% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Josephine soil is found
Mapped acres
Josephine is mapped in California and Oregon.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Josephine County, OR | 92,571 | 8.8% |
| Sonoma County, CA | 58,960 | 5.8% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 48,064 | 4.6% |
| Douglas County, OR | 39,517 | 2.2% |
| Nevada County, CA | 23,485 | 1.7% |
| Amador County, CA | 17,007 | 4.6% |
| Placer County, CA | 16,041 | 2.9% |
| Shasta County, CA | 15,770 | 0.9% |
| San Mateo County, CA | 15,076 | 5.3% |
| Tehama County, CA | 14,520 | 0.8% |
| Jackson County, OR | 14,443 | 1.1% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 2,771 | 0.2% |
| Glenn County, CA | 2,432 | 0.3% |
| Curry County, OR | 1,578 | 0.2% |
| Mariposa County, CA | 27 | 0.0% |
| Napa County, CA | 20 | 0.0% |
| Mendocino County, CA | 5 | 0.0% |
| Fresno County, CA | 3 | 0.0% |
| Klamath County, OR | 2 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Josephine acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.9% |
| Very limited | 96.3% |
| Not rated | 2.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Josephine 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 22–60% (median 45%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 4.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 97.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 2.6% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 41.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 55.2% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.9% |
| 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 | 2.7% |
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 Josephine (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 363,876 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Josephine components. The profile comes from the single largest Josephine component. Full methodology.