Soil series profile
Leck Kill soil series
Leck Kill is a well drained soil with a channery silt loam surface, mapped on 410,749 acres in 31 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 95% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.9 moderately acidic · range 5.9–5.9
- Mapped area
- 411k acres in 31 counties, 3 states
Typical Leck Kill profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (H1) | Channery silt loam | 5.9 | 15% | 30% | 2% |
| 6–26 in (H2) | Channery silt loam | 5.9 | 25% | 24% | 0.25% |
| 26–44 in (H3) | Extremely channery silt loam | 5.3 | 25% | 24% | 0.25% |
| 44–48 in (H4) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Leck Kill soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Leck Kill soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.9. 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 >99% of mapped Leck Kill acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is channery silt loam (81% of mapped Leck Kill acres).
>99% of mapped Leck Kill acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
95% 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 98% of the acres in mapped Leck Kill soils very limited, 2% 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 Leck Kill soil is found
Mapped acres
Leck Kill is mapped in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| McKean County, PA | 58,006 | 9.3% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 48,965 | 6.3% |
| Cameron County, PA | 42,129 | 16.6% |
| Somerset County, PA | 40,717 | 6.0% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 38,436 | 7.9% |
| Columbia County, PA | 25,185 | 8.2% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 20,773 | 6.5% |
| Centre County, PA | 20,319 | 2.9% |
| Potter County, PA | 16,330 | 2.4% |
| Blair County, PA | 15,066 | 4.6% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 10,546 | 3.6% |
| Bedford County, PA | 9,212 | 1.4% |
| Snyder County, PA | 8,546 | 4.1% |
| Elk County, PA | 8,267 | 1.6% |
| Fayette County, PA | 8,261 | 1.6% |
| Monroe County, PA | 6,434 | 1.7% |
| Clinton County, PA | 5,554 | 1.0% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 5,330 | 0.9% |
| Carbon County, PA | 5,209 | 2.2% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 3,773 | 1.7% |
| Fulton County, PA | 3,078 | 1.1% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 2,803 | 0.4% |
| Pulaski County, VA | 2,492 | 1.5% |
| Union County, PA | 1,696 | 0.8% |
| Montour County, PA | 1,238 | 1.5% |
| Cambria County, PA | 1,197 | 0.3% |
| Indiana County, PA | 383 | 0.1% |
| Perry County, PA | 382 | 0.1% |
| Garrett County, MD | 316 | 0.1% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 89 | 0.0% |
| Franklin County, PA | 18 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Leck Kill acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 1.6% |
| Very limited | 97.6% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Leck Kill acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.4 feet (53 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 6–43% (median 17%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.2% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 95.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 4.1% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
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 Leck Kill (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 410,749 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Leck Kill components. The profile comes from the single largest Leck Kill component. Full methodology.