Soil series profile
Parshall soil series
Parshall is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 549,089 acres in 57 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.7 neutral · range 6.7–7.0
- Mapped area
- 549k acres in 57 counties, 3 states
Typical Parshall profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Fine sandy loam | 6.7 | 14% | 70% | 2.5% |
| 7–12 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 6.7 | 14% | 70% | 2.5% |
| 12–29 in (Bw) | Fine sandy loam | 7.5 | 14% | 70% | 2% |
| 29–48 in (Bk) | Fine sandy loam | 7.9 | 14% | 70% | 0.5% |
| 48–60 in (BCk) | Loamy fine sand | 7.9 | 8% | 83% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Parshall soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Parshall soils is neutral: pH 6.7 (most land between 6.7 and 7.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 99% of mapped Parshall acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (92% of mapped Parshall acres).
100% of mapped Parshall acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
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 100% of the acres in mapped Parshall 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 Parshall soil is found
Mapped acres
Parshall is mapped in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Grant County, ND | 52,621 | 5.0% |
| Adams County, ND | 43,439 | 6.9% |
| Corson County, SD | 33,440 | 2.1% |
| Sioux County, ND | 33,202 | 4.8% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 33,045 | 3.2% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 30,241 | 4.2% |
| Dunn County, ND | 30,108 | 2.3% |
| Emmons County, ND | 29,848 | 3.1% |
| Perkins County, SD | 27,788 | 1.5% |
| Morton County, ND | 26,780 | 2.2% |
| Roosevelt County, MT | 20,216 | 1.3% |
| Stark County, ND | 18,739 | 2.2% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 12,471 | 0.7% |
| McLean County, ND | 12,083 | 0.9% |
| Mercer County, ND | 11,279 | 1.7% |
| Bowman County, ND | 9,741 | 1.3% |
| Sheridan County, MT | 9,159 | 0.9% |
| Slope County, ND | 9,059 | 1.2% |
| Oliver County, ND | 8,977 | 1.9% |
| Valley County, MT | 8,767 | 0.3% |
| Prairie County, MT | 8,675 | 0.8% |
| Dewey County, SD | 8,261 | 0.6% |
| Billings County, ND | 6,112 | 0.8% |
| Kidder County, ND | 5,288 | 0.6% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 5,081 | 0.1% |
| Daniels County, MT | 4,871 | 0.5% |
| Butte County, SD | 4,650 | 0.3% |
| Logan County, ND | 3,987 | 0.6% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 3,900 | 0.6% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 3,867 | 0.6% |
| McPherson County, SD | 3,744 | 0.5% |
| Carter County, MT | 3,659 | 0.2% |
| Burke County, ND | 3,644 | 0.5% |
| Williams County, ND | 3,608 | 0.3% |
| Harding County, SD | 3,573 | 0.2% |
| Mountrail County, ND | 3,214 | 0.3% |
| Divide County, ND | 3,048 | 0.4% |
| Campbell County, SD | 2,456 | 0.5% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 1,589 | 0.3% |
| Brown County, SD | 1,262 | 0.1% |
| Walworth County, SD | 1,127 | 0.3% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 1,112 | 0.1% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 403 | 0.1% |
| Spink County, SD | 287 | 0.0% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 210 | 0.0% |
| Fallon County, MT | 124 | 0.0% |
| Custer County, MT | 84 | 0.0% |
| Dickey County, ND | 52 | 0.0% |
| Faulk County, SD | 46 | 0.0% |
| Sheridan County, ND | 43 | 0.0% |
| Ward County, ND | 42 | 0.0% |
| Glacier County, MT | 37 | 0.0% |
| Potter County, SD | 11 | 0.0% |
| Hill County, MT | 8 | 0.0% |
| Cascade County, MT | 7 | 0.0% |
| Toole County, MT | 4 | 0.0% |
| LaMoure County, ND | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Parshall acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Parshall acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.3 feet (51 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on <1% of acres (0% occasional, <1% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–12% (median 4%).
- 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 | 97.6% |
| Moderately well drained | 2.4% |
| 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) | 98.8% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 1.2% |
| 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% |
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 Parshall (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 549,089 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Parshall components. The profile comes from the single largest Parshall component. Full methodology.