Soil series profile
Warsaw soil series
Warsaw is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 127,572 acres in 49 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 94% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.5 slightly acidic · range 6.4–6.8
- Mapped area
- 128k acres in 49 counties, 5 states
Typical Warsaw profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–14 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.5 | 20% | 26% | 3.5% |
| 14–31 in (Bt1) | Sandy clay loam | 5.8 | 24% | 59% | 1.25% |
| 31–36 in (2Bt2) | Gravelly sandy clay loam | 7.3 | 25% | 57% | 1.25% |
| 36–79 in (2C) | Stratified sand to gravel | 8.2 | 3% | 90% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Warsaw soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Warsaw soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.5 (most land between 6.4 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 94% of mapped Warsaw acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (46% of mapped Warsaw acres).
>99% of mapped Warsaw 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 94% of the acres in mapped Warsaw soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (6% 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 Warsaw soil is found
Mapped acres
Warsaw is mapped in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Rock County, WI | 28,367 | 6.2% |
| Walworth County, WI | 10,566 | 3.0% |
| McHenry County, IL | 10,299 | 2.8% |
| Waukesha County, WI | 10,283 | 2.9% |
| Pickaway County, OH | 8,408 | 2.6% |
| Will County, IL | 7,951 | 1.5% |
| Winnebago County, IL | 7,606 | 2.4% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 4,296 | 1.5% |
| Champaign County, OH | 3,744 | 1.4% |
| Peoria County, IL | 3,490 | 0.9% |
| Racine County, WI | 2,827 | 1.3% |
| Dane County, WI | 2,314 | 0.3% |
| Dodge County, MN | 2,272 | 0.8% |
| Kenosha County, WI | 2,047 | 1.2% |
| Butler County, OH | 1,998 | 0.7% |
| Tazewell County, IL | 1,753 | 0.4% |
| Kane County, IL | 1,721 | 0.5% |
| Franklin County, OH | 1,629 | 0.5% |
| Ogle County, IL | 1,529 | 0.3% |
| Noble County, IN | 1,461 | 0.6% |
| Cook County, IL | 1,311 | 0.2% |
| Boone County, IL | 1,238 | 0.7% |
| Miami County, OH | 1,185 | 0.5% |
| Clark County, OH | 1,063 | 0.4% |
| Parke County, IN | 966 | 0.3% |
| Bureau County, IL | 840 | 0.2% |
| Grundy County, IL | 789 | 0.3% |
| Montgomery County, OH | 759 | 0.3% |
| Warren County, OH | 737 | 0.3% |
| Ross County, OH | 615 | 0.1% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 612 | 0.1% |
| Wayne County, IN | 407 | 0.2% |
| Lee County, IL | 373 | 0.1% |
| Fayette County, OH | 275 | 0.1% |
| McLean County, IL | 268 | 0.0% |
| Highland County, OH | 244 | 0.1% |
| Preble County, OH | 239 | 0.1% |
| Woodford County, IL | 234 | 0.1% |
| Goodhue County, MN | 204 | 0.0% |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | 113 | 0.0% |
| Shelby County, OH | 108 | 0.0% |
| Union County, OH | 92 | 0.0% |
| Hamilton County, OH | 67 | 0.0% |
| Madison County, OH | 65 | 0.0% |
| Greene County, OH | 65 | 0.0% |
| Darke County, OH | 58 | 0.0% |
| Franklin County, IN | 46 | 0.0% |
| Fairfield County, OH | 19 | 0.0% |
| Milwaukee County, WI | 17 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Warsaw acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.3% |
| Very limited | 93.6% |
| Not rated | 6.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Warsaw acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.8 feet (69 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–4% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| 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 | 0.4% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 93.9% |
| 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 | 6.1% |
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 Warsaw (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 127,572 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Warsaw components. The profile comes from the single largest Warsaw component. Full methodology.