Soil series profile
Saffell soil series
Saffell is a well drained soil with a very gravelly sandy loam surface, mapped on 794,351 acres in 88 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 93% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.2
- Mapped area
- 794k acres in 88 counties, 8 states
Typical Saffell profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 in (A) | Very gravelly sandy loam | 5.2 | 10% | 67% | 1.5% |
| 3–10 in (E) | Gravelly sandy loam | 5.2 | 13% | 67% | 0.5% |
| 10–40 in (Bt) | Very gravelly sandy clay loam | 5.2 | 24% | 59% | 0.25% |
| 40–80 in (C) | Very gravelly sandy loam | 5.2 | 10% | 67% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Saffell soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Saffell soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 5.0 and 5.2). 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 91% of mapped Saffell acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly sandy loam (32% of mapped Saffell acres).
100% of mapped Saffell 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 89% of the acres in mapped Saffell soils very limited, 9% somewhat limited and <1% not limited (1% 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 Saffell soil is found
Mapped acres
Saffell is mapped in Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri. The 60 counties with the most Saffell acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, AL | 91,632 | 16.2% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 45,871 | 12.1% |
| Wayne County, TN | 36,583 | 7.8% |
| Hardin County, TN | 33,574 | 9.1% |
| Howard County, AR | 32,822 | 8.8% |
| Hot Spring County, AR | 31,713 | 8.1% |
| Colbert County, AL | 30,995 | 9.6% |
| Chilton County, AL | 25,556 | 6.6% |
| Stewart County, TN | 24,009 | 8.1% |
| Bradley County, AR | 22,936 | 5.5% |
| McCurtain County, OK | 22,388 | 1.9% |
| Copiah County, MS | 17,868 | 3.7% |
| Franklin County, MS | 17,420 | 5.1% |
| Trigg County, KY | 16,476 | 6.1% |
| Clark County, AR | 16,394 | 3.0% |
| Amite County, MS | 14,292 | 3.3% |
| Dickson County, TN | 13,797 | 4.4% |
| Franklin County, AL | 13,605 | 4.0% |
| Wilcox County, AL | 12,688 | 2.5% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 12,618 | 4.8% |
| Conecuh County, AL | 12,144 | 2.5% |
| Pushmataha County, OK | 11,724 | 1.3% |
| Greene County, AR | 11,304 | 3.4% |
| Pike County, MS | 10,956 | 4.4% |
| Cleveland County, AR | 10,515 | 2.8% |
| Grant County, AR | 10,418 | 2.6% |
| Hempstead County, AR | 9,687 | 2.1% |
| Calloway County, KY | 9,672 | 4.2% |
| Henry County, TN | 8,916 | 2.5% |
| Ouachita County, AR | 8,867 | 1.9% |
| Marion County, AL | 8,160 | 2.0% |
| Saline County, AR | 7,456 | 1.6% |
| Marshall County, KY | 7,378 | 3.5% |
| Independence County, AR | 7,362 | 1.5% |
| Lyon County, KY | 6,908 | 5.2% |
| Graves County, KY | 6,690 | 1.9% |
| Clay County, AR | 6,530 | 1.6% |
| Perry County, AL | 6,315 | 1.6% |
| Elmore County, AL | 5,250 | 1.5% |
| Marion County, MS | 4,836 | 1.5% |
| Escambia County, AL | 4,734 | 0.9% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 4,704 | 1.8% |
| Little River County, AR | 4,647 | 1.4% |
| Wilkinson County, MS | 4,354 | 1.0% |
| Clarke County, AL | 4,056 | 0.6% |
| Nevada County, AR | 3,896 | 1.0% |
| McNairy County, TN | 3,653 | 1.0% |
| Yazoo County, MS | 3,584 | 0.6% |
| Carlisle County, KY | 3,470 | 2.9% |
| Poinsett County, AR | 3,116 | 0.7% |
| Livingston County, KY | 3,003 | 1.5% |
| Lowndes County, AL | 2,770 | 0.7% |
| Autauga County, AL | 2,706 | 0.9% |
| Dallas County, AL | 2,691 | 0.5% |
| Lafayette County, AR | 2,688 | 0.8% |
| Walthall County, MS | 2,621 | 1.0% |
| Craighead County, AR | 2,574 | 0.6% |
| Holmes County, MS | 2,552 | 0.6% |
| Hickman County, KY | 2,493 | 1.6% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 2,418 | 0.8% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Saffell acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.3% |
| Somewhat limited | 9.0% |
| Very limited | 89.2% |
| Not rated | 1.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Saffell 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 6–31% (median 16%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 1.9% |
| Well drained | 98.1% |
| 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) | 5.5% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 93.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 1.4% |
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 Saffell (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 794,351 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Saffell components. The profile comes from the single largest Saffell component. Full methodology.