Soil series profile
Ozaukee soil series
Ozaukee is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 416,813 acres in 24 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.6 neutral · range 6.2–7.2
- Mapped area
- 417k acres in 24 counties, 3 states
Typical Ozaukee profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 7.2 | 19% | 14% | 2% |
| 4–10 in (BE) | Silt loam | 6.1 | 21% | 10% | 0.6% |
| 10–21 in (2Bt1) | Silty clay | 6.5 | 41% | 11% | 0.5% |
| 21–39 in (2Bt2) | Silty clay loam | 7.6 | 36% | 12% | 0.3% |
| 39–60 in (2Cd) | Silty clay loam | 8.0 | 31% | 14% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Ozaukee soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Ozaukee soils is neutral: pH 6.6 (most land between 6.2 and 7.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Ozaukee acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (94% of mapped Ozaukee acres).
100% of mapped Ozaukee acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Ozaukee soils very limited, 0% 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.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Ozaukee soil is found
Mapped acres
Ozaukee is mapped in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lake County, IL | 63,625 | 22.7% |
| Lake County, IN | 42,471 | 13.4% |
| Cook County, IL | 37,957 | 6.3% |
| Milwaukee County, WI | 37,690 | 24.4% |
| Racine County, WI | 36,353 | 17.1% |
| Will County, IL | 34,091 | 6.5% |
| Kenosha County, WI | 28,053 | 16.2% |
| Porter County, IN | 26,299 | 9.9% |
| Waukesha County, WI | 24,557 | 6.9% |
| DuPage County, IL | 20,099 | 9.5% |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 12,617 | 8.5% |
| Washington County, WI | 11,709 | 4.3% |
| Kane County, IL | 10,336 | 3.1% |
| Vermilion County, IL | 6,443 | 1.1% |
| Kankakee County, IL | 5,400 | 1.3% |
| McHenry County, IL | 5,082 | 1.4% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 3,940 | 0.6% |
| Warren County, IN | 2,894 | 1.3% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 2,027 | 0.5% |
| Grundy County, IL | 1,870 | 0.7% |
| Champaign County, IL | 1,750 | 0.3% |
| St. Joseph County, IN | 1,144 | 0.4% |
| Ford County, IL | 404 | 0.1% |
| Putnam County, IL | 3 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Ozaukee acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Ozaukee acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.3 feet (28 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–9% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.7%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.1% |
| Moderately well drained | 99.9% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 99.8% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.1% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Ozaukee (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 416,813 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Ozaukee components. The profile comes from the single largest Ozaukee component. Full methodology.