Soil series profile
Merrimac soil series
Merrimac is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 292,215 acres in 49 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.1 strongly acidic · range 5.1–5.1
- Mapped area
- 292k acres in 49 counties, 8 states
Typical Merrimac profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Fine sandy loam | 5.1 | 5% | 60% | 4.12% |
| 10–22 in (Bw1) | Fine sandy loam | 5.4 | 3% | 72% | 0.57% |
| 22–26 in (Bw2) | Stratified gravel to gravelly loamy sand | 5.4 | 4% | 77% | 0.57% |
| 26–65 in (2C) | Stratified gravel to very gravelly sand | 5.6 | 1% | 92% | 0.08% |
What this means
What Merrimac soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Merrimac soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.1. 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 Merrimac acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (97% of mapped Merrimac acres).
99% of mapped Merrimac acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
>99% 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Merrimac 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 Merrimac soil is found
Mapped acres
Merrimac is mapped in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester County, MA | 36,593 | 3.8% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 25,210 | 4.8% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 19,905 | 4.8% |
| Hampden County, MA | 18,761 | 4.9% |
| Barnstable County, MA | 17,434 | 6.9% |
| Providence County, RI | 15,020 | 5.5% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 13,721 | 3.9% |
| Essex County, MA | 13,221 | 4.2% |
| Washington County, RI | 11,799 | 5.4% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 11,338 | 8.1% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 11,338 | 8.1% |
| Litchfield County, CT | 10,943 | 1.9% |
| Hartford County, CT | 10,864 | 2.3% |
| Franklin County, MA | 10,077 | 2.3% |
| New London County, CT | 9,787 | 2.2% |
| Kent County, RI | 7,927 | 6.8% |
| Bristol County, MA | 7,293 | 2.0% |
| Windham County, CT | 7,289 | 2.2% |
| Orange County, VT | 5,867 | 1.3% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 4,170 | 0.7% |
| Middlesex County, CT | 3,696 | 1.5% |
| Tolland County, CT | 2,930 | 1.1% |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 2,484 | 0.8% |
| Bristol County, RI | 1,973 | 11.6% |
| Cheshire County, NH | 1,848 | 0.4% |
| Lewis County, NY | 1,759 | 0.2% |
| Fairfield County, CT | 1,540 | 0.4% |
| Cumberland County, ME | 1,477 | 0.3% |
| New Haven County, CT | 1,081 | 0.3% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 867 | 0.2% |
| Dukes County, MA | 738 | 1.1% |
| Fulton County, NY | 645 | 0.2% |
| Newport County, RI | 575 | 0.9% |
| Strafford County, NH | 450 | 0.2% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 393 | 0.1% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 384 | 0.1% |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 289 | 0.2% |
| Windsor County, VT | 184 | 0.0% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 111 | 0.0% |
| Windham County, VT | 49 | 0.0% |
| Rutland County, VT | 40 | 0.0% |
| Rockland County, NY | 39 | 0.0% |
| Westchester County, NY | 38 | 0.0% |
| Sullivan County, NH | 38 | 0.0% |
| Grafton County, NH | 18 | 0.0% |
| Putnam County, NY | 11 | 0.0% |
| Richmond County, NY | 1 | 0.0% |
| Belknap County, NH | 0 | 0.0% |
| Essex County, NJ | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Merrimac acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Merrimac 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 1–10% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 4.1%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 99.0% |
| Well drained | 0.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 99.9% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Merrimac (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 292,215 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Merrimac components. The profile comes from the single largest Merrimac component. Full methodology.