Soil series profile
Midway soil series
Midway is a well drained soil with a clay loam surface, mapped on 1,599,655 acres in 52 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.2 neutral · range 7.2–8.0
- Mapped area
- 1.6M acres in 52 counties, 5 states
Typical Midway profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 in (A) | Clay loam | 7.2 | 34% | 34% | 0.75% |
| 3–14 in (C) | Clay | 7.9 | 43% | 28% | 0.25% |
| 14–60 in (Cr) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Midway soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Midway soils is neutral: pH 7.2 (most land between 7.2 and 8.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 94% of mapped Midway acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is clay loam (70% of mapped Midway acres).
>99% of mapped Midway 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Midway 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 Midway soil is found
Mapped acres
Midway is mapped in Montana, Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas and Wyoming.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Powder River County, MT | 367,497 | 19.1% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 358,316 | 7.4% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 159,298 | 3.6% |
| Treasure County, MT | 115,709 | 18.3% |
| Las Animas County, CO | 76,574 | 2.5% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 65,165 | 3.9% |
| Pueblo County, CO | 63,835 | 4.2% |
| Carbon County, MT | 46,191 | 3.8% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 45,162 | 2.7% |
| Custer County, SD | 38,352 | 4.3% |
| El Paso County, CO | 22,907 | 1.6% |
| Butte County, SD | 21,823 | 1.5% |
| Haakon County, SD | 20,104 | 1.7% |
| Fall River County, SD | 17,624 | 1.6% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 15,919 | 2.8% |
| Pennington County, SD | 12,105 | 0.7% |
| Wallace County, KS | 11,754 | 2.0% |
| Logan County, KS | 10,620 | 1.5% |
| Fremont County, CO | 10,598 | 1.1% |
| Jackson County, SD | 10,224 | 0.9% |
| Yuma County, CO | 8,982 | 0.6% |
| Larimer County, CO | 8,560 | 0.5% |
| Otero County, CO | 6,987 | 0.9% |
| Crowley County, CO | 6,786 | 1.3% |
| Elbert County, CO | 6,561 | 0.6% |
| Meade County, SD | 6,159 | 0.3% |
| Logan County, CO | 5,709 | 0.5% |
| Cheyenne County, CO | 5,091 | 0.4% |
| Judith Basin County, MT | 4,667 | 0.5% |
| Delta County, CO | 4,484 | 0.8% |
| Weld County, CO | 4,413 | 0.2% |
| Bent County, CO | 4,175 | 0.4% |
| Washington County, CO | 4,132 | 0.3% |
| Big Horn County, WY | 3,890 | 0.2% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 3,039 | 0.7% |
| Kit Carson County, CO | 2,535 | 0.2% |
| Park County, WY | 2,532 | 0.2% |
| Cheyenne County, KS | 2,379 | 0.4% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 2,123 | 0.2% |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 2,016 | 0.1% |
| Finney County, KS | 1,743 | 0.2% |
| Huerfano County, CO | 740 | 0.1% |
| Montrose County, CO | 700 | 0.1% |
| Hot Springs County, WY | 525 | 0.1% |
| Custer County, CO | 397 | 0.1% |
| Douglas County, CO | 255 | 0.0% |
| Baca County, CO | 186 | 0.0% |
| Gunnison County, CO | 144 | 0.0% |
| Broomfield County, CO | 35 | 0.1% |
| Niobrara County, WY | 28 | 0.0% |
| Denver County, CO | 22 | 0.0% |
| Lawrence County, SD | 18 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Midway acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.7% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Midway 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 9–48% (median 22%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.8% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
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 | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 99.8% |
| 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 | 0.2% |
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 Midway (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,599,655 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Midway components. The profile comes from the single largest Midway component. Full methodology.