Soil series profile
Spinks soil series
Spinks is a well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 737,185 acres in 68 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.0 moderately acidic · range 5.9–6.5
- Mapped area
- 737k acres in 68 counties, 5 states
Typical Spinks profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Loamy sand | 6.0 | 3% | 84% | 1.2% |
| 9–28 in (Bw) | Sand | 6.0 | 3% | 87% | 0.3% |
| 28–69 in (E and Bt) | Loamy sand | 6.2 | 6% | 88% | 0.1% |
| 69–80 in (C) | Sand | 8.2 | 1% | 95% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Spinks soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Spinks soils is moderately acidic: pH 6.0 (most land between 5.9 and 6.5). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Sandy topsoil covers >99% of mapped Spinks acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is loamy sand (70% of mapped Spinks acres).
>99% of mapped Spinks acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
>99% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Spinks 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 Spinks soil is found
Mapped acres
Spinks is mapped in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Indiana. The 60 counties with the most Spinks acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, MI | 56,151 | 17.6% |
| Cass County, MI | 48,726 | 15.4% |
| Oceana County, MI | 42,159 | 12.2% |
| Oakland County, MI | 40,043 | 7.3% |
| Kent County, MI | 36,663 | 6.7% |
| Van Buren County, MI | 34,698 | 8.9% |
| Jackson County, MI | 34,279 | 7.6% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 32,905 | 6.1% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 32,903 | 9.3% |
| Berrien County, MI | 31,282 | 8.6% |
| Calhoun County, MI | 29,801 | 6.6% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 29,085 | 6.5% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 26,680 | 7.4% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 25,809 | 5.7% |
| Isabella County, MI | 25,757 | 7.0% |
| Manistee County, MI | 19,996 | 5.8% |
| Ingham County, MI | 19,400 | 5.5% |
| Barry County, MI | 16,223 | 4.6% |
| Mason County, MI | 14,188 | 4.5% |
| Livingston County, MI | 13,089 | 3.6% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 11,887 | 3.1% |
| Tuscola County, MI | 11,740 | 2.3% |
| Ionia County, MI | 9,778 | 2.7% |
| Genesee County, MI | 9,519 | 2.3% |
| Eaton County, MI | 7,521 | 2.0% |
| Benzie County, MI | 6,755 | 3.3% |
| Clinton County, MI | 6,743 | 1.8% |
| Sandusky County, OH | 6,565 | 2.5% |
| Wood County, OH | 5,917 | 1.5% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 5,307 | 1.3% |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 4,851 | 1.4% |
| Branch County, MI | 4,526 | 1.4% |
| St. Clair County, MI | 4,202 | 0.9% |
| Wayne County, MI | 4,190 | 1.1% |
| Macomb County, MI | 3,721 | 1.2% |
| Ottawa County, MI | 3,559 | 1.0% |
| Muskegon County, MI | 2,917 | 0.9% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 2,734 | 0.8% |
| Dane County, WI | 1,941 | 0.3% |
| Winona County, MN | 1,882 | 0.5% |
| Monroe County, MI | 1,608 | 0.5% |
| Erie County, OH | 1,459 | 0.9% |
| Allegan County, MI | 1,018 | 0.2% |
| Williams County, OH | 942 | 0.4% |
| Huron County, OH | 927 | 0.3% |
| Seneca County, OH | 905 | 0.3% |
| Lucas County, OH | 841 | 0.4% |
| Whitley County, IN | 732 | 0.3% |
| Lake County, MI | 614 | 0.2% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 482 | 0.1% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 306 | 0.1% |
| St. Joseph County, IN | 269 | 0.1% |
| Henry County, OH | 163 | 0.1% |
| Noble County, IN | 153 | 0.1% |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 138 | 0.0% |
| Fulton County, OH | 137 | 0.1% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 98 | 0.0% |
| Osceola County, MI | 81 | 0.0% |
| DeKalb County, IN | 70 | 0.0% |
| Olmsted County, MN | 54 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Spinks acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.8% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Spinks 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 2–15% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.3% |
| Well drained | 99.6% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 99.8% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 | 0.2% |
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 Spinks (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 737,185 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Spinks components. The profile comes from the single largest Spinks component. Full methodology.