Soil series profile
Nauvoo soil series
Nauvoo is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 760,921 acres in 34 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.5
- Mapped area
- 761k acres in 34 counties, 3 states
Typical Nauvoo profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–12 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 18% | 63% | 1.25% |
| 12–34 in (Bt) | Clay loam | 5.3 | 28% | 38% | 0.75% |
| 34–46 in (C) | Sandy loam | 5.3 | 18% | 59% | 0.25% |
| 46–80 in (Cr) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Nauvoo soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Nauvoo soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.0 and 5.5). 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 Nauvoo acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (69% of mapped Nauvoo acres).
100% of mapped Nauvoo acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 30% of the acres in mapped Nauvoo soils very limited, 70% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Nauvoo soil is found
Mapped acres
Nauvoo is mapped in Alabama, Georgia and Arkansas.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, AL | 185,934 | 32.1% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 94,800 | 12.9% |
| Shelby County, AL | 73,446 | 17.0% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 62,634 | 18.2% |
| Jackson County, AL | 55,690 | 9.4% |
| Marshall County, AL | 41,493 | 12.9% |
| Cullman County, AL | 30,292 | 7.3% |
| Walker County, AL | 28,463 | 6.4% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 27,569 | 6.3% |
| Winston County, AL | 24,432 | 7.1% |
| Bibb County, AL | 18,749 | 5.3% |
| Dade County, GA | 15,817 | 14.3% |
| Morgan County, AL | 11,851 | 3.7% |
| Searcy County, AR | 11,848 | 2.8% |
| Walker County, GA | 10,626 | 3.8% |
| Marion County, AL | 10,521 | 2.6% |
| Colbert County, AL | 8,550 | 2.6% |
| White County, AR | 7,384 | 1.1% |
| Etowah County, AL | 7,215 | 2.5% |
| Van Buren County, AR | 5,899 | 1.3% |
| Blount County, AL | 5,607 | 1.6% |
| Madison County, AL | 5,261 | 1.2% |
| Cleburne County, AR | 3,407 | 1.0% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 3,199 | 1.0% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 2,669 | 0.7% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 2,160 | 2.1% |
| Franklin County, AL | 1,951 | 0.6% |
| Murray County, GA | 1,155 | 0.5% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 1,091 | 0.6% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 745 | 0.4% |
| Stone County, AR | 232 | 0.1% |
| Lamar County, AL | 205 | 0.1% |
| Polk County, GA | 18 | 0.0% |
| Floyd County, GA | 9 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Nauvoo acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 69.8% |
| Very limited | 30.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Nauvoo 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 4–25% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 100.0% |
| 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% |
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 Nauvoo (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 760,921 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Nauvoo components. The profile comes from the single largest Nauvoo component. Full methodology.