Soil series profile
Springer soil series
Springer is a well drained soil with a loamy fine sand surface, mapped on 604,980 acres in 59 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 90% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.2 neutral · range 7.0–7.2
- Mapped area
- 605k acres in 59 counties, 3 states
Typical Springer profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–16 in (A) | Loamy fine sand | 7.0 | 10% | 84% | 0.5% |
| 16–42 in (Bt) | Fine sandy loam | 7.5 | 14% | 66% | 0.25% |
| 42–56 in (Eb) | Loamy fine sand | 7.5 | 10% | 84% | 0.25% |
| 56–80 in (Btb) | Fine sandy loam | 7.5 | 14% | 66% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Springer soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Springer soils is neutral: pH 7.2 (most land between 7.0 and 7.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Sandy topsoil covers 85% of mapped Springer 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 fine sand (72% of mapped Springer acres).
100% of mapped Springer acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
90% 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 92% of the acres in mapped Springer soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (8% 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 Springer soil is found
Mapped acres
Springer is mapped in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Hemphill County, TX | 130,489 | 22.4% |
| Harding County, NM | 89,228 | 6.3% |
| Collingsworth County, TX | 52,737 | 9.0% |
| Quay County, NM | 47,210 | 2.5% |
| Wilbarger County, TX | 41,704 | 6.9% |
| Donley County, TX | 40,694 | 6.8% |
| Gray County, TX | 27,407 | 4.6% |
| Motley County, TX | 16,387 | 2.6% |
| Oldham County, TX | 15,913 | 1.7% |
| Howard County, TX | 13,558 | 2.4% |
| Midland County, TX | 12,508 | 2.2% |
| Hall County, TX | 11,425 | 2.0% |
| Kent County, TX | 10,546 | 1.8% |
| Lipscomb County, TX | 9,271 | 1.6% |
| Greer County, OK | 9,048 | 2.2% |
| Harmon County, OK | 8,358 | 2.5% |
| Moore County, TX | 7,399 | 1.3% |
| Foard County, TX | 7,079 | 1.3% |
| Stonewall County, TX | 5,533 | 0.9% |
| Martin County, TX | 4,494 | 0.8% |
| Jackson County, OK | 4,484 | 0.9% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 4,267 | 0.7% |
| Haskell County, TX | 3,758 | 0.6% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 3,721 | 0.6% |
| Gaines County, TX | 2,808 | 0.3% |
| Cottle County, TX | 2,791 | 0.5% |
| Dickens County, TX | 2,614 | 0.5% |
| Knox County, TX | 2,393 | 0.4% |
| Jones County, TX | 2,103 | 0.4% |
| Garza County, TX | 1,873 | 0.3% |
| Lea County, NM | 1,263 | 0.0% |
| Hardeman County, TX | 1,227 | 0.3% |
| Baylor County, TX | 1,206 | 0.2% |
| Wheeler County, TX | 1,098 | 0.2% |
| Fisher County, TX | 1,016 | 0.2% |
| Ellis County, OK | 886 | 0.1% |
| Mitchell County, TX | 819 | 0.1% |
| Taylor County, TX | 640 | 0.1% |
| Potter County, TX | 580 | 0.1% |
| Armstrong County, TX | 474 | 0.1% |
| King County, TX | 423 | 0.1% |
| Carson County, TX | 421 | 0.1% |
| Crosby County, TX | 421 | 0.1% |
| Floyd County, TX | 370 | 0.1% |
| Woodward County, OK | 340 | 0.0% |
| Hale County, TX | 283 | 0.0% |
| Wichita County, TX | 274 | 0.1% |
| Scurry County, TX | 241 | 0.0% |
| Childress County, TX | 161 | 0.0% |
| Roger Mills County, OK | 147 | 0.0% |
| Dewey County, OK | 145 | 0.0% |
| Young County, TX | 139 | 0.0% |
| Coke County, TX | 136 | 0.0% |
| Nolan County, TX | 121 | 0.0% |
| Borden County, TX | 99 | 0.0% |
| Runnels County, TX | 95 | 0.0% |
| Clay County, TX | 90 | 0.0% |
| Throckmorton County, TX | 42 | 0.0% |
| Tom Green County, TX | 22 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Springer acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.1% |
| Very limited | 92.4% |
| Not rated | 7.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Springer 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 2–6% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.6%.
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) | 90.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 1.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.3% |
| 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 | 7.5% |
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 Springer (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 604,980 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Springer components. The profile comes from the single largest Springer component. Full methodology.