Soil series profile
Swartswood soil series
Swartswood is a well drained soil with a stony fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 212,022 acres in 19 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 88% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 67% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.6 very strongly acidic · range 4.6–4.8
- Mapped area
- 212k acres in 19 counties, 3 states
Typical Swartswood profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (A) | Stony fine sandy loam | 4.6 | 16% | 68% | 7.5% |
| 4–32 in (Bw) | Channery fine sandy loam | 4.6 | 15% | 69% | 0.5% |
| 32–70 in (Bx) | Very gravelly fine sandy loam | 4.6 | 14% | 70% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Swartswood soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Swartswood soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.6 (most land between 4.6 and 4.8). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Swartswood acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly loam (27% of mapped Swartswood acres).
100% of mapped Swartswood acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 80% 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 90% of the acres in mapped Swartswood soils very limited, 7% somewhat limited and 4% 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 Swartswood soil is found
Mapped acres
Swartswood is mapped in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Pike County, PA | 50,768 | 14.6% |
| Sussex County, NJ | 27,338 | 8.2% |
| Sullivan County, NY | 26,887 | 4.4% |
| Orange County, NY | 21,786 | 4.2% |
| Ulster County, NY | 20,939 | 2.9% |
| Monroe County, PA | 16,739 | 4.3% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 9,778 | 8.3% |
| Wayne County, PA | 8,881 | 1.9% |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 8,657 | 3.0% |
| Northampton County, PA | 7,881 | 3.3% |
| Warren County, NJ | 4,138 | 1.8% |
| Carbon County, PA | 3,556 | 1.5% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 1,786 | 0.2% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 1,063 | 0.2% |
| Morris County, NJ | 883 | 0.3% |
| Wyoming County, PA | 868 | 0.3% |
| Sullivan County, PA | 69 | 0.0% |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 4 | 0.0% |
| Columbia County, PA | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Swartswood acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 3.6% |
| Somewhat limited | 6.5% |
| Very limited | 89.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Swartswood 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 4–25% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 88.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 12.0% |
| 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 | 19.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 67.3% |
| 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 | 12.8% |
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 Swartswood (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 212,022 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Swartswood components. The profile comes from the single largest Swartswood component. Full methodology.