Soil series profile
Neshaminy soil series
Neshaminy is a well drained soil with a gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 154,913 acres in 26 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 63% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.4 strongly acidic · range 5.3–6.1
- Mapped area
- 155k acres in 26 counties, 5 states
Typical Neshaminy profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–11 in (A) | Gravelly silt loam | 5.4 | 15% | 30% | 4% |
| 11–39 in (Bt) | Channery clay loam | 5.8 | 35% | 33% | 0.25% |
| 39–65 in (C) | Channery clay loam | 5.8 | 30% | 34% | 0.25% |
| 65–80 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 0.25% |
What this means
What Neshaminy soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Neshaminy soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.4 (most land between 5.3 and 6.1). 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 Neshaminy acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (48% of mapped Neshaminy acres).
>99% of mapped Neshaminy acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 66% 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 84% of the acres in mapped Neshaminy soils very limited, 16% 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 Neshaminy soil is found
Mapped acres
Neshaminy is mapped in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and District of Columbia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Bucks County, PA | 15,681 | 4.1% |
| Harford County, MD | 13,986 | 5.1% |
| York County, PA | 13,541 | 2.4% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 13,510 | 7.0% |
| Adams County, PA | 13,253 | 4.0% |
| Chester County, PA | 13,026 | 2.7% |
| Berks County, PA | 9,290 | 1.7% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 9,177 | 3.0% |
| Delaware County, PA | 8,153 | 5.8% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 7,464 | 3.3% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 6,868 | 2.5% |
| Cecil County, MD | 5,273 | 2.6% |
| New Castle County, DE | 4,931 | 1.9% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 4,237 | 1.3% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 2,956 | 2.1% |
| Morris County, NJ | 2,938 | 1.0% |
| Union County, NJ | 2,298 | 3.5% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 2,196 | 0.6% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 1,996 | 0.6% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 1,712 | 0.5% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 1,457 | 0.7% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 636 | 0.1% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 213 | 0.5% |
| Perry County, PA | 50 | 0.0% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 39 | 0.0% |
| Somerset County, PA | 34 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Neshaminy acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 15.5% |
| Very limited | 84.3% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Neshaminy acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.4 feet (65 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–20% (median 8%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
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 | 34.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 62.5% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 3.1% |
| 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 Neshaminy (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 154,913 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Neshaminy components. The profile comes from the single largest Neshaminy component. Full methodology.