Soil series profile

Waukegan soil series

Waukegan is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 106,849 acres in 21 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.

#3335 by mapped area fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal Typic Hapludolls (Mollisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 6.5
Mapped area: 107k

Typical Waukegan profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Waukegan horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–13 in (Ap,AB)	Silt loam	6.5	23%	10%	3.5%
13–28 in (Bt)	Silt loam	6.2	23%	10%	0.5%
28–42 in (2BC)	Gravelly sand	6.7	6%	93%	0.25%
42–60 in (2C)	Gravelly sand	7.5	3%	96%	0%

Representative values from the most extensive Waukegan map unit (Waukegan silt loam, 0 to 1 percent slopes, survey area MN037). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Waukegan soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Waukegan soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.5, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Waukegan acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (100% of mapped Waukegan acres).

100% of mapped Waukegan 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 100% of the acres in mapped Waukegan 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Waukegan soil is found

Mapped acres

Waukegan is mapped in Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa.

Counties with the most mapped Waukegan soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Dakota County, MN	38,271	10.5%
Whiteside County, IL	9,510	2.3%
Washington County, MN	6,885	2.8%
Clinton County, IA	6,796	1.5%
Rice County, MN	6,213	2.0%
Bureau County, IL	5,475	1.0%
Goodhue County, MN	4,883	1.0%
Henry County, IL	4,305	0.8%
Benton County, IA	3,682	0.8%
Linn County, IA	3,652	0.8%
Wabasha County, MN	3,095	0.9%
Ramsey County, MN	3,088	3.1%
Scott County, MN	2,110	0.9%
Tama County, IA	1,920	0.4%
Steele County, MN	1,846	0.7%
Fillmore County, MN	1,729	0.3%
Johnson County, IA	1,058	0.3%
Carroll County, IL	763	0.3%
Butler County, IA	673	0.2%
Jones County, IA	610	0.2%
Worth County, IA	282	0.1%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Waukegan acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 100%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Waukegan acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Waukegan acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	100.0%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Waukegan 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 0–4% (median 1%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 3.5%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Waukegan acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Waukegan acres.
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 94%

C: slow infiltration 6%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Waukegan acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Waukegan acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	94.4%
C: slow infiltration	5.6%
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 Waukegan (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 106,849 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Waukegan components. The profile comes from the single largest Waukegan component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Waukegan.