Soil series profile
Snead soil series
Snead is a moderately well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 188,572 acres in 20 counties in MO. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.7 neutral · range 5.9–6.7
- Mapped area
- 189k acres in 20 counties, 1 state
Typical Snead profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (Ap) | Silty clay loam | 6.7 | 33% | 10% | 2% |
| 5–10 in (A) | Silty clay loam | 6.7 | 34% | 10% | 1.5% |
| 10–20 in (Bw) | Silty clay | 7.5 | 50% | 6% | 0.7% |
| 20–24 in (BC) | Silty clay | 7.5 | 50% | 6% | 0.4% |
| 24–35 in (C) | Silty clay | 7.5 | 50% | 6% | 0.3% |
| 35–45 in (Cr) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Snead soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Snead soils is neutral: pH 6.7 (most land between 5.9 and 6.7), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 88% of mapped Snead acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (57% of mapped Snead acres).
100% of mapped Snead acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Snead soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
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 Snead soil is found
Mapped acres
Snead is mapped in Missouri.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, MO | 42,617 | 8.0% |
| Ray County, MO | 34,373 | 9.4% |
| Jackson County, MO | 33,878 | 8.8% |
| Cass County, MO | 31,831 | 7.1% |
| Platte County, MO | 16,699 | 6.2% |
| Clay County, MO | 10,002 | 3.9% |
| Henry County, MO | 8,077 | 1.8% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 6,199 | 2.3% |
| Carroll County, MO | 1,937 | 0.4% |
| Daviess County, MO | 1,532 | 0.4% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 753 | 0.2% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 300 | 0.1% |
| Benton County, MO | 151 | 0.0% |
| Livingston County, MO | 106 | 0.0% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 61 | 0.0% |
| Marion County, MO | 28 | 0.0% |
| Ralls County, MO | 21 | 0.0% |
| Worth County, MO | 5 | 0.0% |
| Pettis County, MO | 0 | 0.0% |
| Clinton County, MO | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Snead acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Snead acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.2 feet (26 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 10–22% (median 11%).
- 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 | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 100.0% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 100.0% |
| 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% |
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 Snead (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 188,572 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Snead components. The profile comes from the single largest Snead component. Full methodology.