Soil series profile
Shrouts soil series
Shrouts is a well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 110,886 acres in 23 counties in KY. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 90% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.8 neutral · range 6.8–7.0
- Mapped area
- 111k acres in 23 counties, 1 state
Typical Shrouts profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 in (H1) | Silty clay loam | 6.8 | 33% | 19% | 1.75% |
| 2–19 in (H2) | Clay | 6.8 | 53% | 18% | 0.25% |
| 19–29 in (H3) | Silty clay | 7.5 | 55% | 17% | 0.25% |
| 29–39 in (Cr) | Weathered bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |

What this means
What Shrouts soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Shrouts soils is neutral: pH 6.8 (most land between 6.8 and 7.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 61% of mapped Shrouts acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (46% of mapped Shrouts acres).
100% of mapped Shrouts acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 90% 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 91% of the acres in mapped Shrouts 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 Shrouts soil is found
Mapped acres
Shrouts is mapped in Kentucky.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis County, KY | 16,991 | 5.5% |
| Madison County, KY | 15,970 | 5.7% |
| Fleming County, KY | 14,497 | 6.5% |
| Jefferson County, KY | 12,194 | 5.0% |
| Lincoln County, KY | 9,346 | 4.4% |
| Bath County, KY | 8,531 | 4.8% |
| Garrard County, KY | 6,789 | 4.6% |
| Washington County, KY | 6,342 | 3.3% |
| Estill County, KY | 6,027 | 3.7% |
| Nelson County, KY | 4,233 | 1.6% |
| Montgomery County, KY | 2,971 | 2.3% |
| Clark County, KY | 2,937 | 1.8% |
| Marion County, KY | 2,343 | 1.1% |
| Powell County, KY | 858 | 0.7% |
| Jackson County, KY | 366 | 0.2% |
| Lee County, KY | 217 | 0.2% |
| Oldham County, KY | 114 | 0.1% |
| Henry County, KY | 48 | 0.0% |
| Bullitt County, KY | 44 | 0.0% |
| Shelby County, KY | 33 | 0.0% |
| Mason County, KY | 24 | 0.0% |
| Spencer County, KY | 10 | 0.0% |
| Trimble County, KY | 4 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Shrouts acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 90.5% |
| Not rated | 9.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Shrouts 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 9–25% (median 21%).
- 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 | 100.0% |
| 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) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.7% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 89.7% |
| 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 | 9.5% |
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 Shrouts (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 110,886 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Shrouts components. The profile comes from the single largest Shrouts component. Full methodology.