Soil series profile
Lindley soil series
Lindley is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 879,624 acres in 91 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.5–6.3
- Mapped area
- 880k acres in 91 counties, 3 states
Typical Lindley profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (A) | Loam | 5.5 | 11% | 45% | 1.7% |
| 5–8 in (E) | Loam | 5.5 | 9% | 44% | 1% |
| 8–30 in (Bt) | Clay loam | 5.7 | 33% | 39% | 0.4% |
| 30–79 in (Btk) | Clay loam | 7.5 | 30% | 40% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Lindley soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Lindley soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.5 and 6.3). 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 100% of mapped Lindley acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (94% of mapped Lindley acres).
100% of mapped Lindley acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Lindley 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.
Where Lindley soil is found
Mapped acres
Lindley is mapped in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. The 60 counties with the most Lindley acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Callaway County, MO | 48,309 | 9.0% |
| Lewis County, MO | 46,783 | 14.6% |
| Clark County, MO | 40,266 | 12.4% |
| Lee County, IA | 37,221 | 11.3% |
| Van Buren County, IA | 36,234 | 11.8% |
| Monroe County, MO | 33,485 | 8.1% |
| Howard County, MO | 30,116 | 10.2% |
| Des Moines County, IA | 30,090 | 11.4% |
| Monroe County, IA | 27,750 | 10.0% |
| Scotland County, MO | 27,173 | 9.7% |
| Knox County, MO | 25,548 | 7.9% |
| Randolph County, MO | 25,479 | 8.3% |
| Davis County, IA | 24,798 | 7.8% |
| Decatur County, IA | 24,547 | 7.3% |
| Wapello County, IA | 23,517 | 8.5% |
| Appanoose County, IA | 23,039 | 7.3% |
| Shelby County, MO | 22,542 | 7.0% |
| Jefferson County, IA | 21,584 | 7.7% |
| Henry County, IA | 20,803 | 7.5% |
| Keokuk County, IA | 19,524 | 5.3% |
| Washington County, IA | 19,333 | 5.3% |
| Iowa County, IA | 16,314 | 4.4% |
| Marion County, MO | 14,794 | 5.3% |
| Warren County, MO | 14,234 | 5.2% |
| Lucas County, IA | 12,885 | 4.7% |
| Marion County, IA | 12,715 | 3.7% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 11,640 | 3.4% |
| Mahaska County, IA | 11,168 | 3.1% |
| Tama County, IA | 11,068 | 2.4% |
| Louisa County, IA | 10,966 | 4.3% |
| Macon County, MO | 10,588 | 2.1% |
| Adams County, IL | 8,632 | 1.7% |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 8,467 | 2.3% |
| Jasper County, IA | 8,069 | 1.7% |
| Muscatine County, IA | 7,570 | 2.7% |
| Chariton County, MO | 7,005 | 1.5% |
| Boone County, MO | 6,608 | 1.5% |
| Clinton County, IA | 6,202 | 1.4% |
| Madison County, IA | 6,146 | 1.7% |
| Warren County, IA | 5,896 | 1.6% |
| Johnson County, IA | 5,783 | 1.5% |
| Clarke County, IA | 5,690 | 2.1% |
| Lincoln County, MO | 5,260 | 1.3% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 4,664 | 1.2% |
| Cedar County, IA | 4,420 | 1.2% |
| Audrain County, MO | 4,392 | 1.0% |
| Scott County, IA | 3,779 | 1.3% |
| Dallas County, IA | 3,757 | 1.0% |
| Pike County, MO | 3,362 | 0.8% |
| Saline County, MO | 3,343 | 0.7% |
| Ralls County, MO | 3,311 | 1.1% |
| Adair County, MO | 3,160 | 0.9% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 2,916 | 0.9% |
| Jones County, IA | 2,869 | 0.8% |
| St. Charles County, MO | 2,845 | 0.8% |
| Benton County, IA | 2,383 | 0.5% |
| Clayton County, IA | 2,187 | 0.4% |
| Delaware County, IA | 1,877 | 0.5% |
| Polk County, IA | 1,751 | 0.5% |
| Linn County, IA | 1,736 | 0.4% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Lindley acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Lindley acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 12–29% (median 21%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.7%.
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) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 98.4% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 1.6% |
| 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 Lindley (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 879,624 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Lindley components. The profile comes from the single largest Lindley component. Full methodology.