Soil series profile

Patricia soil series

Patricia is a well drained soil with a fine sand surface, mapped on 946,497 acres in 20 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.

#201 by mapped area fine-loamy Aridic Paleustalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 8.1
Mapped area: 946k

Typical Patricia 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).

Show as a table

Typical Patricia horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–12 in (Ap)	Fine sand	7.0	4%	90%	0.53%
12–40 in (Bt1)	Sandy clay loam	7.2	23%	70%	0.45%
40–78 in (Bt2)	Sandy clay loam	7.5	26%	65%	0.21%
78–80 in (Btk)	Clay loam	8.8	34%	37%	0.04%

Representative values from the most extensive Patricia map unit (Patricia fine sand, 0 to 3 percent slopes, survey area TX165). 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 Patricia soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Patricia soils is moderately alkaline: pH 8.1 (most land between 7.0 and 8.1). 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).

Sandy topsoil covers >99% of mapped Patricia 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 loamy fine sand (55% of mapped Patricia acres).

100% of mapped Patricia acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 0% of the acres in mapped Patricia soils very limited, 100% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.

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 Patricia soil is found

Mapped acres

Patricia is mapped in Texas and New Mexico.

Counties with the most mapped Patricia soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Gaines County, TX	408,336	42.7%
Yoakum County, TX	141,734	27.7%
Terry County, TX	131,344	23.0%
Cochran County, TX	74,489	15.0%
Dawson County, TX	57,712	10.0%
Lea County, NM	24,520	0.9%
Hockley County, TX	22,448	3.9%
Martin County, TX	16,973	2.9%
Lynn County, TX	16,920	3.0%
Roosevelt County, NM	16,085	1.0%
Glasscock County, TX	12,945	2.2%
Bailey County, TX	6,406	1.2%
Howard County, TX	6,237	1.1%
Lamb County, TX	4,573	0.7%
Curry County, NM	3,902	0.4%
Crosby County, TX	1,080	0.2%
Midland County, TX	547	0.1%
Hale County, TX	181	0.0%
Lubbock County, TX	47	0.0%
Quay County, NM	18	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Patricia acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 100%

Very limited 0%

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

Show as a table

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Patricia acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	100.0%
Very limited	0.0%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Patricia 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 1–1% (median 1%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 0.8%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

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

Show as a table

Drainage class across mapped Patricia acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	100.0%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 100%

C: slow infiltration 0%

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

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

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

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

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

Show as a table

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Patricia acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	100.0%
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%

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 Patricia (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 946,497 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Patricia components. The profile comes from the single largest Patricia component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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