Soil series profile
Kempsville soil series
Kempsville is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 207,501 acres in 22 counties in VA. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 74% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.3
- Mapped area
- 208k acres in 22 counties, 1 state
Typical Kempsville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–19 in (H1) | Sandy loam | 5.3 | 10% | 67% | 1.25% |
| 19–37 in (H2) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 25% | 67% | 0.75% |
| 37–65 in (H3) | Sandy clay | 5.3 | 40% | 56% | 0.25% |
| 65–150 in (H4) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 22% | 60% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Kempsville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Kempsville soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3. 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 97% of mapped Kempsville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (63% of mapped Kempsville acres).
100% of mapped Kempsville acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
26% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 19% of the acres in mapped Kempsville soils very limited, 81% 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 Kempsville soil is found
Mapped acres
Kempsville is mapped in Virginia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Caroline County, VA | 103,488 | 32.7% |
| Essex County, VA | 12,795 | 8.8% |
| Westmoreland County, VA | 12,478 | 10.7% |
| Henrico County, VA | 11,694 | 9.1% |
| Gloucester County, VA | 9,809 | 7.7% |
| Hanover County, VA | 8,884 | 3.4% |
| New Kent County, VA | 8,081 | 7.4% |
| King George County, VA | 5,799 | 5.9% |
| Middlesex County, VA | 5,643 | 10.9% |
| Richmond County, VA | 4,785 | 4.5% |
| James City County, VA | 4,511 | 6.4% |
| Lancaster County, VA | 3,804 | 6.7% |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 3,795 | 1.6% |
| Mathews County, VA | 3,074 | 8.7% |
| Northumberland County, VA | 2,822 | 2.8% |
| Stafford County, VA | 1,793 | 1.2% |
| Charles City County, VA | 1,692 | 1.7% |
| Surry County, VA | 1,132 | 0.8% |
| York County, VA | 1,041 | 2.5% |
| Prince William County, VA | 284 | 0.2% |
| Williamsburg city, VA | 70 | 1.2% |
| Richmond city, VA | 27 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Kempsville acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 81.0% |
| Very limited | 19.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Kempsville acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.9 feet (59 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–33% (median 4%).
- 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) | 25.7% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 74.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 Kempsville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 207,501 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Kempsville components. The profile comes from the single largest Kempsville component. Full methodology.