Soil series profile
Sheridan soil series
Sheridan is a well drained soil with a coarse sandy loam surface, mapped on 165,515 acres in 7 counties in CA. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 90% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 89% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.4 slightly acidic · range 6.1–6.5
- Mapped area
- 166k acres in 7 counties, 1 state
Typical Sheridan profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–39 in (H1) | Coarse sandy loam | 6.5 | 13% | 68% | 3% |
| 39–43 in (H2) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Sheridan soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Sheridan soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.4 (most land between 6.1 and 6.5), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 78% of mapped Sheridan acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is coarse sandy loam (75% of mapped Sheridan acres).
90% of mapped Sheridan 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 90% of the acres in mapped Sheridan soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (10% 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 Sheridan soil is found
Mapped acres
Sheridan is mapped in California.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Monterey County, CA | 93,991 | 4.4% |
| San Benito County, CA | 50,461 | 5.7% |
| Kern County, CA | 19,622 | 0.3% |
| San Mateo County, CA | 1,090 | 0.4% |
| Sonoma County, CA | 186 | 0.0% |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 82 | 0.0% |
| Ventura County, CA | 82 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Sheridan acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 90.1% |
| Not rated | 9.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Sheridan 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 23–53% (median 53%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.1% |
| Well drained | 90.2% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 9.7% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 1.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 89.1% |
| 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 | 9.9% |
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 Sheridan (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 165,515 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Sheridan components. The profile comes from the single largest Sheridan component. Full methodology.