Soil series profile
Meckesville soil series
Meckesville is a well drained soil with a channery silt loam surface, mapped on 265,570 acres in 38 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.6 very strongly acidic · range 4.6–5.4
- Mapped area
- 266k acres in 38 counties, 5 states
Typical Meckesville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (H1) | Channery silt loam | 4.6 | 19% | 27% | 2.5% |
| 7–31 in (H2) | Gravelly silty clay loam | 4.6 | 27% | 18% | 0.25% |
| 31–60 in (H3) | Gravelly clay loam | 4.6 | 27% | 35% | 0.25% |
| 60–64 in (H4) | Gravelly clay loam | 4.6 | 28% | 40% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Meckesville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Meckesville soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.6 (most land between 4.6 and 5.4). 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 >99% of mapped Meckesville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (27% of mapped Meckesville acres).
>99% of mapped Meckesville acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% 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 98% of the acres in mapped Meckesville 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 Meckesville soil is found
Mapped acres
Meckesville is mapped in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Schuylkill County, PA | 36,672 | 7.5% |
| Bedford County, PA | 30,175 | 4.7% |
| Blair County, PA | 19,113 | 5.8% |
| Carbon County, PA | 18,460 | 7.7% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 14,404 | 4.9% |
| Fayette County, PA | 12,502 | 2.5% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 11,917 | 2.1% |
| Clinton County, PA | 11,505 | 2.0% |
| Union County, PA | 11,159 | 5.5% |
| Randolph County, WV | 10,765 | 2.1% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 10,576 | 1.9% |
| Potter County, PA | 10,012 | 1.4% |
| Monroe County, PA | 7,598 | 2.0% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 6,841 | 1.0% |
| Snyder County, PA | 6,584 | 3.1% |
| Garrett County, MD | 6,568 | 1.5% |
| Centre County, PA | 6,458 | 0.9% |
| Perry County, PA | 5,582 | 1.6% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 4,636 | 0.6% |
| McKean County, PA | 4,487 | 0.7% |
| Tucker County, WV | 4,270 | 1.9% |
| Cameron County, PA | 3,374 | 1.3% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 1,725 | 0.9% |
| Hampden County, MA | 1,647 | 0.4% |
| Webster County, WV | 1,398 | 0.5% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 1,335 | 0.4% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 1,195 | 0.5% |
| Somerset County, PA | 1,017 | 0.2% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 794 | 0.3% |
| Columbia County, PA | 769 | 0.3% |
| Berks County, PA | 740 | 0.1% |
| Montour County, PA | 467 | 0.6% |
| Elk County, PA | 391 | 0.1% |
| Indiana County, PA | 215 | 0.0% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 128 | 0.1% |
| Northampton County, PA | 50 | 0.0% |
| Preston County, WV | 32 | 0.0% |
| Juniata County, PA | 7 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Meckesville acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 2.0% |
| Very limited | 97.7% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Meckesville acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.9 feet (35 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 1% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 6–30% (median 17%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.6% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
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 | 98.1% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.6% |
| 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 | 1.0% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
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 Meckesville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 265,570 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Meckesville components. The profile comes from the single largest Meckesville component. Full methodology.