Soil series profile
Kuma soil series
Kuma is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 925,064 acres in 36 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 58% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.5 slightly acidic · range 6.5–7.3
- Mapped area
- 925k acres in 36 counties, 5 states
Typical Kuma profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.5 | 21% | 11% | 3% |
| 5–11 in (AB) | Silt loam | 7.2 | 21% | 11% | 3% |
| 11–29 in (Bt) | Silty clay loam | 7.5 | 29% | 7% | 1.8% |
| 29–47 in (2Bk) | Silt loam | 8.4 | 20% | 11% | 2% |
| 47–79 in (2C) | Silt loam | 8.5 | 19% | 25% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Kuma soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Kuma soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.5 (most land between 6.5 and 7.3), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Kuma acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (75% of mapped Kuma acres).
100% of mapped Kuma acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 58% 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 78% of the acres in mapped Kuma soils very limited, 22% 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.
Where Kuma soil is found
Mapped acres
Kuma is mapped in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne County, KS | 127,172 | 19.5% |
| Cheyenne County, NE | 92,542 | 12.1% |
| Perkins County, NE | 87,120 | 15.4% |
| Yuma County, CO | 87,045 | 5.9% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 86,688 | 12.7% |
| Kit Carson County, CO | 72,429 | 5.2% |
| Keith County, NE | 50,701 | 7.5% |
| Thomas County, KS | 48,577 | 7.1% |
| Phillips County, CO | 44,856 | 10.7% |
| Gove County, KS | 40,210 | 5.9% |
| Sedgwick County, CO | 27,036 | 7.9% |
| Chase County, NE | 24,425 | 4.3% |
| Sherman County, KS | 23,495 | 3.5% |
| Sheridan County, KS | 22,687 | 4.0% |
| Scott County, KS | 18,272 | 4.0% |
| Washington County, CO | 17,840 | 1.1% |
| Wallace County, KS | 16,469 | 2.8% |
| Garden County, NE | 10,191 | 0.9% |
| Deuel County, NE | 5,840 | 2.1% |
| Logan County, KS | 5,230 | 0.8% |
| Otero County, NM | 3,723 | 0.1% |
| Logan County, CO | 2,956 | 0.3% |
| Greeley County, KS | 1,966 | 0.4% |
| Kimball County, NE | 1,820 | 0.3% |
| Stanton County, KS | 988 | 0.2% |
| Wichita County, KS | 959 | 0.2% |
| Finney County, KS | 857 | 0.1% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 827 | 0.1% |
| Kearny County, KS | 697 | 0.1% |
| Goshen County, WY | 326 | 0.0% |
| Haskell County, KS | 276 | 0.1% |
| Hamilton County, KS | 272 | 0.0% |
| Grant County, KS | 224 | 0.1% |
| Lane County, KS | 209 | 0.0% |
| Trego County, KS | 70 | 0.0% |
| Seward County, KS | 70 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Kuma acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 22.0% |
| Very limited | 78.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Kuma 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 0–2% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
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) | 9.4% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 32.6% |
| C: slow infiltration | 58.0% |
| 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 Kuma (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 925,064 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Kuma components. The profile comes from the single largest Kuma component. Full methodology.