Soil series profile
Turbeville soil series
Turbeville is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 59,167 acres in 26 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.0
- Mapped area
- 59k acres in 26 counties, 3 states
Typical Turbeville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (H1) | Fine sandy loam | 5.0 | 11% | 68% | 1.25% |
| 9–17 in (H2) | Loam | 5.0 | 25% | 35% | 0.75% |
| 17–64 in (H3) | Clay | 5.0 | 45% | 26% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Turbeville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Turbeville soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0. 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 96% of mapped Turbeville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (54% of mapped Turbeville acres).
100% of mapped Turbeville acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 3% of the acres in mapped Turbeville soils very limited, 97% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Turbeville soil is found
Mapped acres
Turbeville is mapped in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Powhatan County, VA | 10,720 | 7.6% |
| Northampton County, NC | 8,004 | 2.6% |
| Richmond city, VA | 5,249 | 14.9% |
| Richmond County, NC | 5,006 | 1.8% |
| Campbell County, VA | 4,675 | 1.6% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 4,675 | 1.6% |
| Charlotte County, VA | 3,651 | 1.4% |
| Goochland County, VA | 2,736 | 1.8% |
| King George County, VA | 2,407 | 2.5% |
| Stafford County, VA | 2,053 | 1.4% |
| Henrico County, VA | 1,874 | 1.5% |
| Westmoreland County, VA | 1,480 | 1.3% |
| Appomattox County, VA | 1,413 | 0.8% |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 1,396 | 0.6% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 536 | 0.2% |
| Charles City County, VA | 450 | 0.5% |
| Halifax County, NC | 447 | 0.1% |
| York County, SC | 419 | 0.1% |
| Warren County, NC | 370 | 0.1% |
| Louisa County, VA | 360 | 0.1% |
| Halifax County, VA | 298 | 0.1% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 262 | 0.1% |
| Lunenburg County, VA | 237 | 0.1% |
| Chatham County, NC | 203 | 0.1% |
| Hanover County, VA | 162 | 0.1% |
| Montgomery County, NC | 84 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Turbeville acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 97.1% |
| Very limited | 2.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Turbeville 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 4–11% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 100.0% |
| 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% |
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 Turbeville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 59,167 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Turbeville components. The profile comes from the single largest Turbeville component. Full methodology.