Soil series profile
Lily soil series
Lily is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 1,339,981 acres in 135 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 89% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.6 very strongly acidic · range 4.6–5.5
- Mapped area
- 1.3M acres in 135 counties, 8 states
Typical Lily profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 in (A) | Loam | 4.6 | 17% | 43% | 2.25% |
| 3–9 in (BE) | Loam | 4.6 | 20% | 41% | 1.5% |
| 9–30 in (Bt) | Clay loam | 5.0 | 29% | 44% | 0.25% |
| 30–40 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Lily soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Lily soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.6 (most land between 4.6 and 5.5). 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 90% of mapped Lily acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (63% of mapped Lily acres).
>99% of mapped Lily acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 96% of the acres in mapped Lily soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (4% 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 Lily soil is found
Mapped acres
Lily is mapped in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio and Georgia. The 60 counties with the most Lily acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County, TN | 164,655 | 37.9% |
| Fentress County, TN | 79,159 | 25.2% |
| Morgan County, TN | 70,386 | 21.1% |
| Marion County, TN | 62,651 | 19.4% |
| Bledsoe County, TN | 61,173 | 23.5% |
| Scott County, TN | 52,426 | 15.4% |
| Rhea County, TN | 42,594 | 21.0% |
| Sequatchie County, TN | 39,629 | 23.4% |
| Grundy County, TN | 31,726 | 13.8% |
| Laurel County, KY | 31,471 | 11.3% |
| Crawford County, MO | 25,317 | 5.3% |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 23,513 | 4.4% |
| Tazewell County, VA | 22,018 | 7.6% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 21,798 | 11.3% |
| Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 20,931 | 6.5% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 20,885 | 6.1% |
| Franklin County, MO | 20,734 | 3.6% |
| Nicholas County, WV | 20,528 | 6.5% |
| McCreary County, KY | 19,970 | 7.3% |
| Phelps County, MO | 19,527 | 4.5% |
| Washington County, VA | 18,386 | 6.6% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 16,890 | 9.7% |
| Hart County, KY | 15,260 | 5.8% |
| Mercer County, WV | 14,891 | 6.8% |
| Smyth County, VA | 13,977 | 8.1% |
| Texas County, MO | 13,479 | 1.8% |
| Gallia County, OH | 11,757 | 3.9% |
| Hocking County, OH | 11,481 | 4.3% |
| Independence County, AR | 11,375 | 2.3% |
| Carter County, KY | 11,167 | 4.3% |
| Butler County, KY | 10,202 | 3.7% |
| Sharp County, AR | 9,841 | 2.6% |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 9,750 | 4.8% |
| Overton County, TN | 9,582 | 3.5% |
| Monroe County, WV | 9,298 | 3.3% |
| Pulaski County, VA | 8,942 | 5.4% |
| Summers County, WV | 8,783 | 4.6% |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 7,306 | 1.5% |
| Giles County, VA | 7,272 | 4.8% |
| McDowell County, WV | 6,994 | 2.7% |
| Boone County, WV | 6,851 | 2.7% |
| Whitley County, KY | 6,770 | 2.4% |
| Newton County, AR | 6,712 | 1.3% |
| Washington County, MO | 6,457 | 1.3% |
| White County, TN | 6,218 | 2.6% |
| Wyoming County, WV | 6,195 | 2.4% |
| Randolph County, WV | 6,054 | 1.2% |
| Jackson County, KY | 6,002 | 2.7% |
| Alleghany County, VA | 5,754 | 2.4% |
| Clay County, WV | 5,710 | 3.2% |
| Wythe County, VA | 5,682 | 2.9% |
| Bath County, VA | 5,613 | 1.9% |
| Warren County, TN | 5,149 | 1.9% |
| Upshur County, WV | 4,956 | 2.8% |
| Bland County, VA | 4,904 | 3.5% |
| Wise County, VA | 4,602 | 2.2% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 4,514 | 1.4% |
| Searcy County, AR | 4,353 | 1.0% |
| Madison County, MO | 4,336 | 1.4% |
| Campbell County, TN | 4,310 | 1.4% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Lily acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.1% |
| Very limited | 95.8% |
| Not rated | 4.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Lily 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 6–30% (median 11%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.5% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.5% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.2% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 88.8% |
| C: slow infiltration | 6.9% |
| 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 | 4.1% |
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 Lily (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,339,981 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Lily components. The profile comes from the single largest Lily component. Full methodology.