Soil series profile
Oakville soil series
Oakville is a excessively drained soil with a loamy fine sand surface, mapped on 351,045 acres in 68 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained 59% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.9 moderately acidic · range 5.1–6.3
- Mapped area
- 351k acres in 68 counties, 8 states
Typical Oakville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (H1) | Loamy fine sand | 6.2 | 5% | 80% | 2% |
| 7–37 in (H2) | Loamy fine sand | 6.4 | 5% | 79% | 0.5% |
| 37–90 in (H3) | Loamy fine sand | 6.6 | 5% | 79% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Oakville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Oakville soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.9 (most land between 5.1 and 6.3). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Sandy topsoil covers 99% of mapped Oakville acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is fine sand (75% of mapped Oakville acres).
59% of mapped Oakville acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
99% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 98% of the acres in mapped Oakville soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (1% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Oakville soil is found
Mapped acres
Oakville is mapped in Michigan, Indiana, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The 60 counties with the most Oakville acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Saratoga County, NY | 37,437 | 7.3% |
| Jasper County, IN | 29,380 | 8.2% |
| Kent County, MI | 27,878 | 5.1% |
| Monroe County, MI | 16,076 | 4.5% |
| Pulaski County, IN | 15,574 | 5.6% |
| Newton County, IN | 15,491 | 6.0% |
| Warren County, NY | 15,261 | 2.7% |
| Kankakee County, IL | 13,541 | 3.2% |
| Berrien County, MI | 12,121 | 3.3% |
| Lake County, IN | 11,986 | 3.8% |
| Genesee County, MI | 11,126 | 2.7% |
| Allegan County, MI | 10,404 | 2.0% |
| Henry County, IL | 10,015 | 1.9% |
| Livingston County, MI | 9,745 | 2.7% |
| Washington County, NY | 9,120 | 1.7% |
| Macomb County, MI | 8,374 | 2.7% |
| White County, IN | 7,429 | 2.3% |
| Green Lake County, WI | 7,087 | 3.1% |
| Porter County, IN | 6,645 | 2.5% |
| Wayne County, MI | 6,543 | 1.7% |
| Manitowoc County, WI | 5,450 | 1.4% |
| Oswego County, NY | 5,356 | 0.9% |
| Oakland County, MI | 5,322 | 1.0% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 4,946 | 1.3% |
| Van Buren County, MI | 4,787 | 1.2% |
| Will County, IL | 4,267 | 0.8% |
| Lucas County, OH | 4,089 | 1.9% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 3,492 | 1.0% |
| Cook County, IL | 2,941 | 0.5% |
| Sheboygan County, WI | 2,797 | 0.9% |
| Iroquois County, IL | 2,459 | 0.3% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 2,196 | 0.5% |
| Cass County, IN | 2,186 | 0.8% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 2,069 | 0.5% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 1,921 | 0.3% |
| Winnebago County, WI | 1,748 | 0.6% |
| Wayne County, NY | 1,503 | 0.4% |
| Rock Island County, IL | 1,451 | 0.6% |
| Kewaunee County, WI | 1,412 | 0.6% |
| Madison County, IL | 1,158 | 0.3% |
| Bureau County, IL | 1,040 | 0.2% |
| Cass County, IL | 1,013 | 0.4% |
| Clinton County, MI | 946 | 0.3% |
| Orange County, NY | 899 | 0.2% |
| Henry County, OH | 680 | 0.3% |
| Erie County, OH | 584 | 0.4% |
| Lee County, IL | 581 | 0.1% |
| Calhoun County, IL | 518 | 0.3% |
| Fulton County, OH | 450 | 0.2% |
| Erie County, PA | 385 | 0.1% |
| Ottawa County, OH | 324 | 0.2% |
| Schuyler County, IL | 230 | 0.1% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 160 | 0.1% |
| Saginaw County, MI | 122 | 0.0% |
| Bay County, MI | 55 | 0.0% |
| St. Clair County, MI | 45 | 0.0% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 40 | 0.0% |
| Henderson County, IL | 39 | 0.0% |
| Mercer County, IL | 36 | 0.0% |
| Isabella County, MI | 33 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Oakville acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.4% |
| Very limited | 98.2% |
| Not rated | 1.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Oakville acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.6 feet (43 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on <1% of acres (0% occasional, 0% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–12% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 58.6% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.2% |
| Well drained | 34.1% |
| Moderately well drained | 6.8% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 98.6% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 1.4% |
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 Oakville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 351,045 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Oakville components. The profile comes from the single largest Oakville component. Full methodology.