Soil series profile
Purcellville soil series
Purcellville is a well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 66,817 acres in 2 counties in VA. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.8–5.8
- Mapped area
- 67k acres in 2 counties, 1 state
Typical Purcellville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (H1) | Silty clay loam | 5.8 | 27% | 7% | 1.25% |
| 9–20 in (H2) | Silty clay loam | 5.5 | 35% | 6% | 0.3% |
| 20–34 in (H3) | Silt loam | 5.2 | 25% | 7% | 0.3% |
| 34–64 in (H4) | Silt loam | 5.2 | 25% | 7% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Purcellville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Purcellville soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8. Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Purcellville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (100% of mapped Purcellville acres).
100% of mapped Purcellville 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 100% of the acres in mapped Purcellville 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 Purcellville soil is found
Mapped acres
Purcellville is mapped in Virginia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Loudoun County, VA | 42,641 | 15.0% |
| Fauquier County, VA | 24,176 | 6.7% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Purcellville 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 Purcellville 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 4–20% (median 11%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| 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
Show as a table
| 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 Purcellville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 66,817 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Purcellville components. The profile comes from the single largest Purcellville component. Full methodology.