Soil series profile
Wabek soil series
Wabek is a excessively drained soil with a gravelly sandy loam surface, mapped on 594,832 acres in 57 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 53% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.0 neutral · range 7.0–7.2
- Mapped area
- 595k acres in 57 counties, 3 states
Typical Wabek profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (A) | Gravelly sandy loam | 7.2 | 15% | 66% | 1.5% |
| 9–13 in (Bk) | Very gravelly sandy loam | 7.2 | 15% | 66% | 0.75% |
| 13–60 in (C) | Very gravelly sand | 7.6 | 2% | 97% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Wabek soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Wabek soils is neutral: pH 7.0 (most land between 7.0 and 7.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Wabek acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly sandy loam (35% of mapped Wabek acres).
100% of mapped Wabek acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
53% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Wabek 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 Wabek soil is found
Mapped acres
Wabek is mapped in North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Kidder County, ND | 61,990 | 7.3% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 47,329 | 7.9% |
| Logan County, ND | 43,445 | 7.0% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 41,167 | 2.9% |
| Mountrail County, ND | 36,037 | 3.1% |
| Divide County, ND | 29,480 | 3.6% |
| Daniels County, MT | 29,337 | 3.2% |
| McPherson County, SD | 24,937 | 3.4% |
| Sheridan County, MT | 22,613 | 2.1% |
| Williams County, ND | 22,584 | 1.7% |
| McLean County, ND | 19,562 | 1.5% |
| Sheridan County, ND | 18,933 | 3.0% |
| Perkins County, SD | 16,226 | 0.9% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 15,536 | 1.5% |
| Blaine County, MT | 15,448 | 0.6% |
| Burke County, ND | 13,897 | 1.9% |
| Ward County, ND | 13,251 | 1.0% |
| Roosevelt County, MT | 12,307 | 0.8% |
| Campbell County, SD | 10,720 | 2.3% |
| Emmons County, ND | 9,085 | 0.9% |
| Corson County, SD | 8,913 | 0.6% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 7,332 | 0.4% |
| Dickey County, ND | 6,324 | 0.9% |
| McCone County, MT | 5,805 | 0.3% |
| Morton County, ND | 5,507 | 0.4% |
| Prairie County, MT | 5,283 | 0.5% |
| Walworth County, SD | 5,229 | 1.2% |
| Mercer County, ND | 4,507 | 0.7% |
| Grant County, ND | 3,968 | 0.4% |
| Slope County, ND | 3,641 | 0.5% |
| Wells County, ND | 3,380 | 0.4% |
| Oliver County, ND | 3,284 | 0.7% |
| Richland County, MT | 3,030 | 0.2% |
| Cascade County, MT | 2,779 | 0.2% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 2,515 | 0.3% |
| Stark County, ND | 1,975 | 0.2% |
| Fallon County, MT | 1,866 | 0.2% |
| Sioux County, ND | 1,827 | 0.3% |
| Bowman County, ND | 1,826 | 0.2% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 1,777 | 0.2% |
| Dunn County, ND | 1,630 | 0.1% |
| Pondera County, MT | 1,580 | 0.1% |
| Faulk County, SD | 1,422 | 0.2% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 1,038 | 0.1% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 857 | 0.1% |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | 683 | 0.0% |
| Teton County, MT | 631 | 0.0% |
| Dawson County, MT | 612 | 0.0% |
| Billings County, ND | 532 | 0.1% |
| LaMoure County, ND | 498 | 0.1% |
| Adams County, ND | 226 | 0.0% |
| Potter County, SD | 211 | 0.0% |
| Spink County, SD | 89 | 0.0% |
| Brown County, SD | 87 | 0.0% |
| McHenry County, ND | 51 | 0.0% |
| Foster County, ND | 31 | 0.0% |
| Phillips County, MT | 5 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Wabek 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 Wabek 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 4–22% (median 10%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 100.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 53.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 46.7% |
| 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 Wabek (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 594,832 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Wabek components. The profile comes from the single largest Wabek component. Full methodology.