Soil series profile
Nodaway soil series
Nodaway is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 851,107 acres in 126 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 82% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.7 neutral · range 6.5–6.7
- Mapped area
- 851k acres in 126 counties, 5 states
Typical Nodaway profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.7 | 25% | 7% | 3.5% |
| 7–12 in (AC) | Stratified silt loam | 6.7 | 25% | 11% | 0.7% |
| 12–26 in (C1) | Silt loam | 6.7 | 23% | 7% | 1.6% |
| 26–79 in (C2) | Silt loam | 6.7 | 26% | 3% | 2% |
What this means
What Nodaway soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Nodaway soils is neutral: pH 6.7 (most land between 6.5 and 6.7), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Nodaway acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (99% of mapped Nodaway acres).
100% of mapped Nodaway 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Nodaway soils very limited, <1% 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.
Flooding is mapped on >99% of the acres (71% occasional, 28% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Nodaway soil is found
Mapped acres
Nodaway is mapped in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Minnesota. The 60 counties with the most Nodaway acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Gage County, NE | 49,226 | 9.0% |
| Saunders County, NE | 37,869 | 7.9% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 32,442 | 6.1% |
| Cass County, NE | 29,202 | 8.2% |
| Harrison County, MO | 28,667 | 6.2% |
| Otoe County, NE | 28,583 | 7.3% |
| Daviess County, MO | 28,286 | 7.8% |
| Carroll County, MO | 26,359 | 5.9% |
| Johnson County, MO | 24,236 | 4.6% |
| Johnson County, NE | 23,173 | 9.7% |
| Mercer County, MO | 22,546 | 7.8% |
| Keokuk County, IA | 22,524 | 6.1% |
| Gentry County, MO | 20,953 | 6.7% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 20,587 | 7.8% |
| Putnam County, MO | 19,992 | 6.0% |
| Ray County, MO | 18,638 | 5.1% |
| Howard County, MO | 18,208 | 6.1% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 15,892 | 4.7% |
| Clay County, MO | 15,218 | 6.0% |
| Wapello County, IA | 14,328 | 5.2% |
| Decatur County, IA | 14,071 | 4.2% |
| Van Buren County, IA | 13,036 | 4.2% |
| Lee County, IA | 12,983 | 3.9% |
| Jefferson County, NE | 12,855 | 3.5% |
| Washington County, IA | 12,762 | 3.5% |
| Mahaska County, IA | 12,331 | 3.4% |
| Jefferson County, IA | 11,929 | 4.3% |
| Marshall County, KS | 11,663 | 2.0% |
| Platte County, MO | 11,551 | 4.3% |
| Grundy County, MO | 10,412 | 3.8% |
| Davis County, IA | 10,265 | 3.2% |
| Pawnee County, NE | 10,227 | 3.7% |
| Richardson County, NE | 9,897 | 2.8% |
| Johnson County, IA | 9,476 | 2.4% |
| Worth County, MO | 9,206 | 5.4% |
| Taylor County, IA | 9,105 | 2.7% |
| Jasper County, IA | 8,951 | 1.9% |
| Henry County, IA | 7,870 | 2.9% |
| Iowa County, IA | 7,324 | 2.0% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 6,522 | 1.1% |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 6,272 | 1.7% |
| Union County, IA | 6,155 | 2.3% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 6,132 | 1.8% |
| Marion County, IA | 5,167 | 1.5% |
| Shelby County, IA | 5,146 | 1.4% |
| Clarke County, IA | 5,102 | 1.9% |
| Clinton County, MO | 5,067 | 1.9% |
| Des Moines County, IA | 5,048 | 1.9% |
| Cass County, IA | 4,669 | 1.3% |
| Montgomery County, IA | 4,656 | 1.7% |
| Cedar County, IA | 3,987 | 1.1% |
| Marshall County, IA | 3,925 | 1.1% |
| Louisa County, IA | 3,830 | 1.5% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 3,398 | 1.3% |
| Crawford County, IA | 3,364 | 0.7% |
| Lucas County, IA | 3,249 | 1.2% |
| Linn County, IA | 3,231 | 0.7% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 3,208 | 0.8% |
| Monroe County, IA | 3,025 | 1.1% |
| Tama County, IA | 2,804 | 0.6% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Nodaway acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.2% |
| Very limited | 99.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Nodaway acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on <1% of acres.
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on >99% of acres (71% occasional, 28% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–2% (median 1%).
- 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 | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 100.0% |
| 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 | 81.8% |
| C: slow infiltration | 17.6% |
| 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 | 0.5% |
| 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 Nodaway (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 851,107 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Nodaway components. The profile comes from the single largest Nodaway component. Full methodology.