Soil series profile

Ottokee soil series

Ottokee is a moderately well drained soil with a fine sand surface, mapped on 67,146 acres in 18 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.

#4773 by mapped area Aquic Udipsamments (Entisols)

Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 6.5
Mapped area: 67k

Typical Ottokee profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Ottokee horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–8 in (H1)	Fine sand	6.7	6%	93%	1.25%
8–60 in (H2)	Fine sand	6.5	7%	92%	0.75%
60–78 in (H3)	Fine sand	7.3	5%	95%	0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Ottokee map unit (Ottokee fine sand, 0 to 6 percent slopes, survey area OH051). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Ottokee soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Ottokee soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.5 (most land between 5.8 and 6.7), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Sandy topsoil covers 95% of mapped Ottokee 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 (72% of mapped Ottokee acres).

95% of mapped Ottokee acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

94% 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 95% of the acres in mapped Ottokee soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (5% 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Ottokee soil is found

Mapped acres

Ottokee is mapped in Ohio and Michigan.

Counties with the most mapped Ottokee soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Lucas County, OH	18,300	8.4%
Fulton County, OH	18,026	6.9%
Wood County, OH	7,564	1.9%
Monroe County, MI	7,481	2.1%
Henry County, OH	5,965	2.2%
Van Buren County, MI	4,715	1.2%
Livingston County, MI	1,489	0.4%
Williams County, OH	1,150	0.4%
Defiance County, OH	885	0.3%
Putnam County, OH	761	0.2%
Macomb County, MI	186	0.1%
Hancock County, OH	184	0.1%
Wayne County, MI	179	0.0%
Paulding County, OH	176	0.1%
Washtenaw County, MI	71	0.0%
Lenawee County, MI	10	0.0%
Seneca County, OH	3	0.0%
St. Clair County, MI	2	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Ottokee acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 95%

Not rated 5%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Ottokee acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Ottokee acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	95.2%
Not rated	4.8%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Ottokee acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 2.5 feet (30 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 2% of acres.
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 2–3% (median 3%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 0%

Moderately well drained 95%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated 5%

Drainage class across mapped Ottokee acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Ottokee acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	0.0%
Moderately well drained	95.2%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	4.8%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 94%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 2%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Not rated 5%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Ottokee acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Ottokee acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	93.7%
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	1.5%
B/D: D as is, B if drained	0.0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained	0.0%
Not rated	4.8%

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 Ottokee (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 67,146 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Ottokee components. The profile comes from the single largest Ottokee component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Ottokee.