Soil series profile
Rueter soil series
Rueter is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a very gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 676,074 acres in 59 counties in MO. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 44% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 4.2–6.3
- Mapped area
- 676k acres in 59 counties, 1 state
Typical Rueter profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 in (A) | Very gravelly silt loam | 4.2 | 5% | 37% | 1.25% |
| 3–14 in (E) | Very gravelly silt loam | 4.8 | 6% | 30% | 0.9% |
| 14–45 in (Bt1) | Extremely cobbly loam | 4.9 | 20% | 47% | 0.3% |
| 45–79 in (2Bt2) | Extremely cobbly clay | 5.5 | 56% | 28% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Rueter soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Rueter soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 4.2 and 6.3). 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 100% of mapped Rueter acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is very gravelly silt loam (71% of mapped Rueter acres).
100% of mapped Rueter acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
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 96% of the acres in mapped Rueter soils very limited, 4% 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 Rueter soil is found
Mapped acres
Rueter is mapped in Missouri.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Miller County, MO | 77,293 | 20.4% |
| McDonald County, MO | 61,436 | 17.8% |
| Crawford County, MO | 54,243 | 11.4% |
| Washington County, MO | 47,442 | 9.8% |
| Jasper County, MO | 46,416 | 11.3% |
| Maries County, MO | 45,463 | 13.5% |
| Stone County, MO | 44,250 | 14.9% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 40,680 | 7.9% |
| Osage County, MO | 26,882 | 7.0% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 18,715 | 4.5% |
| Carter County, MO | 17,852 | 5.5% |
| Wayne County, MO | 17,799 | 3.7% |
| Barry County, MO | 14,925 | 3.0% |
| Morgan County, MO | 14,499 | 3.8% |
| Shannon County, MO | 13,911 | 2.2% |
| Cole County, MO | 13,911 | 5.5% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 11,329 | 2.9% |
| Taney County, MO | 11,205 | 2.8% |
| Phelps County, MO | 10,638 | 2.5% |
| Laclede County, MO | 9,013 | 1.8% |
| Ozark County, MO | 7,777 | 1.6% |
| Iron County, MO | 5,847 | 1.7% |
| Newton County, MO | 5,637 | 1.4% |
| Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 4,715 | 1.5% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 4,568 | 1.3% |
| Howell County, MO | 4,451 | 0.8% |
| Christian County, MO | 4,271 | 1.2% |
| St. Francois County, MO | 3,889 | 1.4% |
| Oregon County, MO | 3,635 | 0.7% |
| Texas County, MO | 3,615 | 0.5% |
| Dallas County, MO | 2,917 | 0.8% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 2,705 | 0.7% |
| Perry County, MO | 2,483 | 0.8% |
| Polk County, MO | 1,984 | 0.5% |
| Greene County, MO | 1,968 | 0.5% |
| Douglas County, MO | 1,965 | 0.4% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 1,659 | 0.6% |
| Madison County, MO | 1,595 | 0.5% |
| Camden County, MO | 1,585 | 0.4% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 1,440 | 0.4% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 1,424 | 0.4% |
| Webster County, MO | 1,261 | 0.3% |
| Dent County, MO | 1,236 | 0.3% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 1,200 | 0.4% |
| Franklin County, MO | 966 | 0.2% |
| Dade County, MO | 953 | 0.3% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 767 | 0.2% |
| Cedar County, MO | 727 | 0.2% |
| Butler County, MO | 379 | 0.1% |
| Benton County, MO | 134 | 0.0% |
| Henry County, MO | 132 | 0.0% |
| Callaway County, MO | 113 | 0.0% |
| Wright County, MO | 82 | 0.0% |
| Ripley County, MO | 73 | 0.0% |
| Hickory County, MO | 12 | 0.0% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 4 | 0.0% |
| Cooper County, MO | 3 | 0.0% |
| Pettis County, MO | 1 | 0.0% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Rueter acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 3.9% |
| Very limited | 96.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Rueter 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 9–35% (median 25%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 100.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 24.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 44.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 31.4% |
| 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 Rueter (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 676,074 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Rueter components. The profile comes from the single largest Rueter component. Full methodology.