Soil series profile
Otero soil series
Otero is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 751,846 acres in 64 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 52% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 91% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.9 moderately alkaline · range 7.8–7.9
- Mapped area
- 752k acres in 64 counties, 8 states
Typical Otero profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (A) | Sandy loam | 7.8 | 15% | 66% | 1.25% |
| 6–14 in (Bw) | Sandy loam | 7.8 | 12% | 68% | 0.75% |
| 14–79 in (Bk) | Sandy loam | 7.6 | 12% | 68% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Otero soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Otero soils is moderately alkaline: pH 7.9 (most land between 7.8 and 7.9). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 83% of mapped Otero acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (43% of mapped Otero acres).
48% of mapped Otero acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
91% 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 11% of the acres in mapped Otero soils very limited, 13% somewhat limited and 75% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Otero soil is found
Mapped acres
Otero is mapped in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Utah and South Dakota. The 60 counties with the most Otero acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Baca County, CO | 100,777 | 6.2% |
| Weld County, CO | 86,889 | 3.4% |
| Morrill County, NE | 47,201 | 5.2% |
| Torrance County, NM | 46,098 | 2.2% |
| Meade County, KS | 35,367 | 5.6% |
| Cheyenne County, KS | 27,928 | 4.3% |
| Scotts Bluff County, NE | 27,800 | 5.9% |
| Laramie County, WY | 27,237 | 1.6% |
| Texas County, OK | 23,624 | 1.8% |
| Banner County, NE | 22,818 | 4.8% |
| Harding County, NM | 22,680 | 1.6% |
| Sioux County, NE | 22,094 | 1.7% |
| Goshen County, WY | 21,656 | 1.6% |
| Seward County, KS | 21,000 | 5.1% |
| Ellis County, OK | 20,291 | 2.6% |
| Grant County, KS | 17,855 | 4.9% |
| Huerfano County, CO | 15,563 | 1.5% |
| Cimarron County, OK | 13,946 | 1.2% |
| Finney County, KS | 13,164 | 1.6% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 11,460 | 0.7% |
| Pueblo County, CO | 11,423 | 0.8% |
| Kit Carson County, CO | 9,702 | 0.7% |
| Las Animas County, CO | 9,312 | 0.3% |
| Chase County, NE | 8,956 | 1.6% |
| Larimer County, CO | 8,164 | 0.5% |
| Wallace County, KS | 7,851 | 1.3% |
| Morton County, KS | 7,445 | 1.6% |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 6,481 | 0.9% |
| Cheyenne County, CO | 6,206 | 0.5% |
| Prowers County, CO | 5,778 | 0.5% |
| Dundy County, NE | 4,083 | 0.7% |
| Haskell County, KS | 3,832 | 1.0% |
| Logan County, KS | 3,478 | 0.5% |
| Crowley County, CO | 3,260 | 0.6% |
| Scott County, KS | 3,183 | 0.7% |
| Hamilton County, KS | 2,932 | 0.5% |
| Gove County, KS | 2,888 | 0.4% |
| Kearny County, KS | 2,728 | 0.5% |
| Stevens County, KS | 2,520 | 0.5% |
| Clark County, KS | 2,089 | 0.3% |
| El Paso County, CO | 1,805 | 0.1% |
| Woodward County, OK | 1,563 | 0.2% |
| Lane County, KS | 1,406 | 0.3% |
| Valencia County, NM | 1,233 | 0.2% |
| Johnson County, WY | 1,181 | 0.0% |
| Crook County, WY | 1,140 | 0.1% |
| Stanton County, KS | 963 | 0.2% |
| Sherman County, KS | 946 | 0.1% |
| Fremont County, CO | 792 | 0.1% |
| Ford County, KS | 718 | 0.1% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 568 | 0.1% |
| Park County, WY | 473 | 0.0% |
| Boulder County, CO | 385 | 0.1% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 292 | 0.0% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 212 | 0.0% |
| Garfield County, UT | 201 | 0.0% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 81 | 0.0% |
| Box Butte County, NE | 50 | 0.0% |
| Hitchcock County, NE | 42 | 0.0% |
| Trego County, KS | 15 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Otero acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 75.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 13.4% |
| Very limited | 11.2% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Otero 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 2–13% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 47.7% |
| Well drained | 52.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 91.2% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 2.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 6.1% |
| 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 | 0.4% |
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 Otero (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 751,846 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Otero components. The profile comes from the single largest Otero component. Full methodology.