Soil series profile
Rion soil series
Rion is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 341,010 acres in 57 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 91% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.4–5.5
- Mapped area
- 341k acres in 57 counties, 5 states
Typical Rion profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (A) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 18% | 66% | 1.25% |
| 4–12 in (BE) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 17% | 64% | 0.25% |
| 12–28 in (Bt) | Sandy clay loam | 5.5 | 30% | 56% | 0.25% |
| 28–38 in (BC) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 17% | 64% | 0.25% |
| 38–80 in (C) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 11% | 66% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Rion soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Rion soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.4 and 5.5). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 68% of mapped Rion acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (70% of mapped Rion acres).
100% of mapped Rion 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 68% of the acres in mapped Rion soils very limited, 32% 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 Rion soil is found
Mapped acres
Rion is mapped in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Virginia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, GA | 70,472 | 21.3% |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 32,248 | 7.8% |
| Paulding County, GA | 30,315 | 15.7% |
| Coosa County, AL | 22,751 | 6.0% |
| Wake County, NC | 22,412 | 4.2% |
| Newberry County, SC | 21,127 | 6.1% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 18,786 | 4.9% |
| Polk County, NC | 12,344 | 8.8% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 10,696 | 3.2% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 9,912 | 3.0% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 8,204 | 1.7% |
| Chester County, SC | 7,714 | 2.1% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 6,865 | 4.8% |
| Franklin County, NC | 6,829 | 2.2% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 5,878 | 1.2% |
| Rowan County, NC | 5,611 | 1.9% |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 5,316 | 2.0% |
| Hall County, GA | 4,018 | 1.6% |
| Johnston County, NC | 3,712 | 0.8% |
| York County, SC | 3,017 | 0.7% |
| Iredell County, NC | 2,309 | 0.7% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 1,882 | 0.7% |
| Davie County, NC | 1,818 | 1.2% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 1,761 | 1.0% |
| Randolph County, NC | 1,546 | 0.3% |
| Halifax County, NC | 1,534 | 0.4% |
| Bartow County, GA | 1,457 | 0.5% |
| Person County, NC | 1,452 | 0.6% |
| Caswell County, NC | 1,446 | 0.5% |
| Warren County, NC | 1,439 | 0.6% |
| Cobb County, GA | 1,412 | 0.7% |
| Lincoln County, GA | 1,325 | 1.0% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 1,314 | 0.5% |
| Jackson County, GA | 1,125 | 0.5% |
| Caroline County, VA | 1,099 | 0.3% |
| Dinwiddie County, VA | 1,096 | 0.4% |
| Vance County, NC | 1,085 | 0.7% |
| Chatham County, NC | 1,004 | 0.3% |
| Barrow County, GA | 780 | 0.8% |
| Hancock County, GA | 775 | 0.3% |
| Jasper County, GA | 670 | 0.3% |
| Newton County, GA | 585 | 0.3% |
| Granville County, NC | 572 | 0.2% |
| Orange County, NC | 518 | 0.2% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 465 | 0.6% |
| Oconee County, SC | 445 | 0.1% |
| Nottoway County, VA | 398 | 0.2% |
| Nash County, NC | 340 | 0.1% |
| Davidson County, NC | 234 | 0.1% |
| Alamance County, NC | 206 | 0.1% |
| Gaston County, NC | 200 | 0.1% |
| Forsyth County, NC | 133 | 0.1% |
| Durham County, NC | 119 | 0.1% |
| Taliaferro County, GA | 84 | 0.1% |
| Wilson County, NC | 61 | 0.0% |
| Burke County, NC | 47 | 0.0% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 45 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Rion acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 32.0% |
| Very limited | 68.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Rion 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 8–30% (median 12%).
- 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) | 2.4% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 91.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 6.3% |
| 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 Rion (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 341,010 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Rion components. The profile comes from the single largest Rion component. Full methodology.