Soil series profile
Shano soil series
Shano is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 673,924 acres in 11 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.6 slightly alkaline · range 7.5–7.6
- Mapped area
- 674k acres in 11 counties, 3 states
Typical Shano profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (H1) | Silt loam | 7.6 | 8% | 22% | 1.5% |
| 8–33 in (H2) | Silt loam | 7.9 | 8% | 22% | 0.25% |
| 33–60 in (H3) | Silt loam | 8.2 | 8% | 22% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Shano soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Shano soils is slightly alkaline: pH 7.6 (most land between 7.5 and 7.6). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Shano acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (90% of mapped Shano acres).
>99% of mapped Shano 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 25% of the acres in mapped Shano soils very limited, 69% somewhat limited and 6% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Shano soil is found
Mapped acres
Shano is mapped in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County, WA | 351,961 | 28.8% |
| Grant County, WA | 76,772 | 4.7% |
| Benton County, WA | 65,590 | 6.0% |
| Umatilla County, OR | 51,204 | 3.0% |
| Franklin County, WA | 41,272 | 5.6% |
| Yakima County, WA | 20,809 | 1.1% |
| Elmore County, ID | 20,753 | 1.7% |
| Owyhee County, ID | 20,753 | 0.5% |
| Lincoln County, WA | 14,555 | 1.0% |
| Jerome County, ID | 8,327 | 2.5% |
| Klickitat County, WA | 1,928 | 0.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Shano acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 6.2% |
| Somewhat limited | 68.8% |
| Very limited | 24.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Shano 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 3–18% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 99.9% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Shano (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 673,924 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Shano components. The profile comes from the single largest Shano component. Full methodology.