Soil series profile
Sacul soil series
Sacul is a moderately well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 2,151,476 acres in 67 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 69% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.3
- Mapped area
- 2.2M acres in 67 counties, 4 states
Typical Sacul profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 13% | 71% | 2% |
| 5–9 in (E) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 14% | 70% | 0.75% |
| 9–22 in (Bt1) | Clay | 4.6 | 48% | 23% | 0.5% |
| 22–41 in (Bt2) | Clay | 4.6 | 48% | 23% | 0.25% |
| 41–70 in (Btg) | Clay loam | 4.6 | 28% | 35% | 0.1% |
| 70–80 in (BCg) | Clay loam | 4.6 | 28% | 35% | 0% |
What this means
What Sacul soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Sacul soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3. 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.
Sandy topsoil covers 55% of mapped Sacul acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (80% of mapped Sacul acres).
>99% of mapped Sacul acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 94% 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 94% of the acres in mapped Sacul soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (6% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Sacul soil is found
Mapped acres
Sacul is mapped in Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Alabama. The 60 counties with the most Sacul acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Winn Parish, LA | 176,794 | 29.1% |
| Union County, AR | 148,133 | 22.1% |
| Jackson Parish, LA | 132,340 | 36.3% |
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 119,072 | 14.8% |
| Sabine Parish, LA | 114,033 | 20.5% |
| Bienville Parish, LA | 101,312 | 19.6% |
| Cherokee County, TX | 94,787 | 14.1% |
| Claiborne Parish, LA | 88,279 | 18.2% |
| Columbia County, AR | 85,552 | 17.6% |
| Grant County, AR | 67,584 | 16.7% |
| Hempstead County, AR | 67,169 | 14.5% |
| Miller County, AR | 66,489 | 16.7% |
| Nevada County, AR | 66,181 | 16.8% |
| Lincoln Parish, LA | 57,360 | 19.1% |
| Sevier County, AR | 54,938 | 15.3% |
| Clark County, AR | 49,838 | 9.0% |
| Dallas County, AR | 48,239 | 11.5% |
| Union Parish, LA | 47,663 | 8.5% |
| Ouachita County, AR | 44,017 | 9.4% |
| Caldwell Parish, LA | 43,084 | 12.8% |
| Bossier Parish, LA | 43,046 | 8.1% |
| Howard County, AR | 37,907 | 10.1% |
| Nacogdoches County, TX | 37,583 | 6.2% |
| Webster Parish, LA | 35,954 | 9.3% |
| Hot Spring County, AR | 34,308 | 8.7% |
| Anderson County, TX | 32,020 | 4.7% |
| Drew County, AR | 21,090 | 4.0% |
| Jefferson County, AR | 19,700 | 3.5% |
| Angelina County, TX | 16,831 | 3.3% |
| Upshur County, TX | 16,594 | 4.4% |
| Lafayette County, AR | 14,443 | 4.3% |
| Calhoun County, AR | 13,444 | 3.3% |
| Lincoln County, AR | 13,367 | 3.7% |
| Rusk County, TX | 13,212 | 2.2% |
| Harrison County, TX | 12,193 | 2.1% |
| Vernon Parish, LA | 10,727 | 1.3% |
| Gregg County, TX | 9,310 | 5.3% |
| Camp County, TX | 8,044 | 6.3% |
| Caddo Parish, LA | 6,916 | 1.2% |
| Houston County, TX | 6,730 | 0.9% |
| Panola County, TX | 6,284 | 1.2% |
| Wood County, TX | 6,110 | 1.5% |
| Morris County, TX | 5,719 | 3.5% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 5,579 | 1.4% |
| Little River County, AR | 5,033 | 1.5% |
| San Augustine County, TX | 4,874 | 1.4% |
| Lonoke County, AR | 4,351 | 0.9% |
| Lee County, AL | 4,310 | 1.3% |
| Bowie County, TX | 4,122 | 0.7% |
| Grant Parish, LA | 3,424 | 0.8% |
| Cass County, TX | 3,365 | 0.6% |
| Smith County, TX | 3,133 | 0.5% |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 3,100 | 0.6% |
| Sabine County, TX | 2,741 | 0.9% |
| Walker County, TX | 2,501 | 0.5% |
| Ashley County, AR | 1,971 | 0.3% |
| Titus County, TX | 1,932 | 0.7% |
| Shelby County, TX | 1,543 | 0.3% |
| Marion County, TX | 1,339 | 0.5% |
| Pickens County, AL | 1,008 | 0.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Sacul acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 94.0% |
| Not rated | 6.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Sacul acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.9 feet (35 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–13% (median 9%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 1.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 98.6% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 11.2% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 69.0% |
| 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 | 13.9% |
| Not rated | 6.0% |
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 Sacul (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 2,151,476 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Sacul components. The profile comes from the single largest Sacul component. Full methodology.