Soil series profile
Maymen soil series
Maymen is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a gravelly loam surface, mapped on 418,016 acres in 23 counties in CA. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained 86% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 94% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.5–6.2
- Mapped area
- 418k acres in 23 counties, 1 state
Typical Maymen profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (H1) | Gravelly loam | 5.8 | 18% | 43% | 2% |
| 9–19 in (H2) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Maymen soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Maymen soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8 (most land between 5.5 and 6.2). 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 95% of mapped Maymen acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly loam (56% of mapped Maymen acres).
89% of mapped Maymen acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
On 94% 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 95% of the acres in mapped Maymen soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (6% 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 Maymen soil is found
Mapped acres
Maymen is mapped in California.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CA | 116,638 | 13.4% |
| Mendocino County, CA | 71,359 | 3.0% |
| Glenn County, CA | 55,861 | 6.5% |
| Tehama County, CA | 25,156 | 1.3% |
| Napa County, CA | 16,612 | 3.8% |
| Shasta County, CA | 16,188 | 0.9% |
| Santa Clara County, CA | 15,372 | 1.8% |
| Placer County, CA | 15,217 | 2.7% |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | 14,605 | 5.3% |
| Sonoma County, CA | 11,562 | 1.1% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 11,162 | 1.1% |
| Solano County, CA | 8,837 | 1.7% |
| Colusa County, CA | 7,456 | 1.0% |
| Marin County, CA | 5,635 | 1.7% |
| Amador County, CA | 4,561 | 1.2% |
| Alameda County, CA | 3,568 | 0.8% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 3,057 | 0.3% |
| Nevada County, CA | 2,751 | 0.2% |
| Trinity County, CA | 1,316 | 0.4% |
| San Mateo County, CA | 1,266 | 0.4% |
| Yolo County, CA | 702 | 0.1% |
| Humboldt County, CA | 277 | 0.0% |
| Contra Costa County, CA | 71 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Maymen acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 94.5% |
| Not rated | 5.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Maymen 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 33–63% (median 48%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 2.5% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 86.4% |
| Well drained | 6.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 5.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.5% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 94.0% |
| 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 | 5.5% |
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 Maymen (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 418,016 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Maymen components. The profile comes from the single largest Maymen component. Full methodology.