Soil series profile

Lakehurst soil series

Lakehurst is a moderately well drained soil with a sand surface, mapped on 151,501 acres in 11 counties in NJ. Hydrologic group A.

#2436 by mapped area Aquodic Quartzipsamments (Entisols)

Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 4.3
Mapped area: 152k

Typical Lakehurst 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 Lakehurst horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–2 in (Oi)	Slightly decomposed plant material	3.6	4%	92%	85%
2–4 in (A)	Sand	4.3	4%	92%	2%
4–18 in (E)	Sand	4.3	4%	92%	0%
18–32 in (Bh)	Sand	4.8	4%	92%	0.75%
32–45 in (BC)	Sand	4.8	4%	92%	0%
45–54 in (C)	Sand	4.8	4%	92%	0%
54–80 in (Cg)	Sand	4.8	4%	92%	0%

Representative values from the most extensive Lakehurst map unit (Lakehurst sand, 0 to 5 percent slopes, survey area NJ029). 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 Lakehurst soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Lakehurst soils is extremely acidic: pH 4.3. 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.

Sandy topsoil covers 100% of mapped Lakehurst acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sand (94% of mapped Lakehurst acres).

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

For lawns and yards

100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Lakehurst 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 Lakehurst soil is found

Mapped acres

Lakehurst is mapped in New Jersey.

Counties with the most mapped Lakehurst soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Burlington County, NJ	65,010	12.3%
Ocean County, NJ	49,908	10.2%
Atlantic County, NJ	17,066	4.2%
Monmouth County, NJ	8,693	2.9%
Camden County, NJ	5,540	3.8%
Cumberland County, NJ	2,875	0.9%
Middlesex County, NJ	1,280	0.6%
Gloucester County, NJ	840	0.4%
Salem County, NJ	205	0.1%
Cape May County, NJ	83	0.1%
Mercer County, NJ	1	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Lakehurst acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 100%

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

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

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Lakehurst acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 2.5 feet (30 in) (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 2–3% (median 3%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 2%.

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 Lakehurst acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Lakehurst 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) 100%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 0%

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%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Lakehurst acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	100.0%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
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 Lakehurst (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 151,501 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Lakehurst components. The profile comes from the single largest Lakehurst component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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