Soil series profile
Nora soil series
Nora is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 952,946 acres in 35 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 92% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.8 neutral · range 6.3–6.8
- Mapped area
- 953k acres in 35 counties, 4 states
Typical Nora profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.8 | 26% | 12% | 2.5% |
| 7–17 in (Bw) | Silty clay loam | 7.2 | 28% | 10% | 0.75% |
| 17–29 in (BCk) | Silt loam | 8.2 | 21% | 11% | 0.5% |
| 29–79 in (C) | Silt loam | 8.3 | 22% | 12% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Nora soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Nora soils is neutral: pH 6.8 (most land between 6.3 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Nora acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (82% of mapped Nora acres).
100% of mapped Nora acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 92% 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 17% of the acres in mapped Nora soils very limited, 83% 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 Nora soil is found
Mapped acres
Nora is mapped in Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne County, NE | 83,822 | 29.6% |
| Platte County, NE | 73,674 | 17.0% |
| Cuming County, NE | 73,531 | 20.1% |
| Dixon County, NE | 71,706 | 23.6% |
| Cedar County, NE | 69,486 | 14.7% |
| Madison County, NE | 66,852 | 18.3% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 63,535 | 12.3% |
| Stanton County, NE | 58,879 | 21.5% |
| Antelope County, NE | 51,148 | 9.5% |
| Knox County, NE | 50,076 | 7.1% |
| Boone County, NE | 41,512 | 9.5% |
| Thurston County, NE | 38,642 | 15.3% |
| Colfax County, NE | 36,330 | 13.8% |
| Pierce County, NE | 32,453 | 8.9% |
| Dakota County, NE | 22,963 | 13.6% |
| Washington County, NE | 22,841 | 9.1% |
| Burt County, NE | 21,479 | 6.8% |
| Union County, SD | 18,909 | 6.4% |
| Nance County, NE | 14,522 | 5.2% |
| Lincoln County, SD | 10,929 | 3.0% |
| Rock County, MN | 8,044 | 2.6% |
| Moody County, SD | 6,699 | 2.0% |
| Boyd County, NE | 6,067 | 1.8% |
| Dodge County, NE | 4,787 | 1.4% |
| Holt County, NE | 1,275 | 0.1% |
| Butler County, NE | 832 | 0.2% |
| Lake County, SD | 781 | 0.2% |
| Yankton County, SD | 444 | 0.1% |
| Bon Homme County, SD | 342 | 0.1% |
| Merrick County, NE | 200 | 0.1% |
| Lyon County, IA | 72 | 0.0% |
| Sioux County, IA | 56 | 0.0% |
| Turner County, SD | 40 | 0.0% |
| Howard County, NE | 9 | 0.0% |
| Clay County, SD | 8 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Nora acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 83.1% |
| Very limited | 16.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Nora 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 4–14% (median 9%).
- 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 | 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 | 8.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 91.7% |
| 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 Nora (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 952,946 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Nora components. The profile comes from the single largest Nora component. Full methodology.