Soil series profile
Russell soil series
Russell is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 316,030 acres in 43 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 77% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 6.2–6.5
- Mapped area
- 316k acres in 43 counties, 4 states
Typical Russell profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.2 | 16% | 10% | 1.75% |
| 8–13 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 5.3 | 29% | 5% | 0.75% |
| 13–28 in (Bt2) | Silty clay loam | 4.9 | 29% | 5% | 0.75% |
| 28–52 in (2Bt3) | Clay loam | 6.2 | 28% | 36% | 0.75% |
| 52–58 in (2BCt) | Loam | 7.9 | 24% | 40% | 0.25% |
| 58–79 in (2Cd) | Loam | 7.9 | 15% | 48% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Russell soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Russell soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 6.2 and 6.5), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Russell acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (>99% of mapped Russell acres).
>99% of mapped Russell 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 66% of the acres in mapped Russell soils very limited, 33% 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 Russell soil is found
Mapped acres
Russell is mapped in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, IN | 40,508 | 29.7% |
| Parke County, IN | 34,724 | 12.6% |
| Butler County, OH | 29,825 | 10.1% |
| Union County, IN | 24,140 | 23.5% |
| Putnam County, IN | 20,682 | 6.8% |
| Warren County, OH | 19,801 | 7.8% |
| Fountain County, IN | 15,923 | 6.3% |
| Edgar County, IL | 15,153 | 3.8% |
| Greene County, OH | 10,943 | 4.1% |
| Cass County, IN | 8,851 | 3.4% |
| Vermillion County, IN | 8,716 | 5.4% |
| Woodford County, IL | 7,156 | 2.2% |
| De Witt County, IL | 6,975 | 2.8% |
| Rush County, IN | 6,589 | 2.5% |
| Franklin County, IN | 6,578 | 2.7% |
| Coles County, IL | 5,779 | 1.8% |
| Highland County, OH | 5,317 | 1.5% |
| Decatur County, IN | 5,006 | 2.1% |
| Piatt County, IL | 4,652 | 1.7% |
| Vigo County, IN | 4,420 | 1.7% |
| Macon County, IL | 4,283 | 1.2% |
| Clinton County, OH | 3,481 | 1.3% |
| McLean County, IL | 3,287 | 0.4% |
| Preble County, OH | 2,782 | 1.0% |
| Howard County, IN | 2,530 | 1.4% |
| Hendricks County, IN | 2,466 | 0.9% |
| Montgomery County, OH | 2,326 | 0.8% |
| Montgomery County, IN | 2,013 | 0.6% |
| Wayne County, IN | 1,968 | 0.8% |
| Champaign County, IL | 1,815 | 0.3% |
| Douglas County, IL | 1,388 | 0.5% |
| Clinton County, IN | 1,189 | 0.5% |
| Hamilton County, OH | 944 | 0.4% |
| Muscatine County, IA | 914 | 0.3% |
| Morgan County, IN | 854 | 0.3% |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 674 | 0.3% |
| Logan County, IL | 560 | 0.1% |
| Jennings County, IN | 537 | 0.2% |
| Carroll County, IN | 130 | 0.1% |
| Dearborn County, IN | 92 | 0.0% |
| Cumberland County, IL | 36 | 0.0% |
| Boone County, IN | 25 | 0.0% |
| Tipton County, IN | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Russell acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 33.1% |
| Very limited | 66.4% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Russell acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.8 feet (57 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–9% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.8% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 77.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 19.4% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 3.2% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
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 Russell (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 316,030 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Russell components. The profile comes from the single largest Russell component. Full methodology.