Soil series profile
Richfield soil series
Richfield is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 2,579,968 acres in 40 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.2 neutral · range 7.2–7.2
- Mapped area
- 2.6M acres in 40 counties, 5 states
Typical Richfield profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 7.2 | 18% | 29% | 1.7% |
| 6–17 in (Bt) | Silty clay loam | 7.5 | 39% | 9% | 1.5% |
| 17–25 in (Btk) | Silty clay loam | 7.5 | 33% | 18% | 0.8% |
| 25–79 in (Bk) | Silt loam | 8.5 | 26% | 22% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Richfield soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Richfield soils is neutral: pH 7.2, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Richfield acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (93% of mapped Richfield acres).
100% of mapped Richfield 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 92% of the acres in mapped Richfield soils very limited, 6% somewhat limited and 2% 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 Richfield soil is found
Mapped acres
Richfield is mapped in Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska and Montana.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Greeley County, KS | 277,683 | 55.7% |
| Finney County, KS | 247,330 | 29.7% |
| Wichita County, KS | 233,504 | 50.8% |
| Haskell County, KS | 208,523 | 56.4% |
| Scott County, KS | 186,539 | 40.7% |
| Stanton County, KS | 181,448 | 41.7% |
| Hamilton County, KS | 167,685 | 26.3% |
| Lane County, KS | 152,212 | 33.2% |
| Kearny County, KS | 149,343 | 26.9% |
| Gray County, KS | 103,990 | 18.7% |
| Kit Carson County, CO | 88,338 | 6.4% |
| Morton County, KS | 79,691 | 17.0% |
| Seward County, KS | 73,701 | 18.0% |
| Grant County, KS | 66,483 | 18.1% |
| Sedgwick County, CO | 52,356 | 15.3% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 51,470 | 4.5% |
| Prowers County, CO | 40,647 | 3.9% |
| Cheyenne County, CO | 29,618 | 2.6% |
| Baca County, CO | 23,888 | 1.5% |
| Bennett County, SD | 22,751 | 3.0% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 18,614 | 0.4% |
| Phillips County, CO | 18,368 | 4.4% |
| Jackson County, SD | 17,090 | 1.5% |
| Dawes County, NE | 15,739 | 1.8% |
| Todd County, SD | 11,326 | 1.3% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 10,557 | 1.9% |
| Thomas County, KS | 10,117 | 1.5% |
| Yuma County, CO | 8,595 | 0.6% |
| Stevens County, KS | 7,253 | 1.6% |
| Deuel County, NE | 6,758 | 2.4% |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 6,562 | 0.5% |
| Box Butte County, NE | 5,001 | 0.7% |
| Sherman County, KS | 4,949 | 0.7% |
| Logan County, KS | 1,005 | 0.1% |
| Gove County, KS | 346 | 0.1% |
| Sheridan County, NE | 185 | 0.0% |
| Ness County, KS | 140 | 0.0% |
| Ford County, KS | 117 | 0.0% |
| Keith County, NE | 39 | 0.0% |
| Wallace County, KS | 6 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Richfield acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 2.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 5.9% |
| Very limited | 92.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Richfield 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 0–2% (median 0%).
- 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 | 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 | 0.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 98.8% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.3% |
| 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 Richfield (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 2,579,968 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Richfield components. The profile comes from the single largest Richfield component. Full methodology.