Soil series profile
Wellston soil series
Wellston is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 962,735 acres in 92 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 82% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.4–5.8
- Mapped area
- 963k acres in 92 counties, 5 states
Typical Wellston profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 in (A) | Silt loam | 5.4 | 15% | 10% | 4.75% |
| 3–8 in (EB) | Silt loam | 5.4 | 18% | 7% | 1.75% |
| 8–26 in (Bt) | Silt loam | 4.8 | 26% | 5% | 0.5% |
| 26–41 in (2Bt) | Loam | 5.0 | 23% | 40% | 0.25% |
| 41–54 in (2BC) | Parachannery fine sandy loam | 5.0 | 18% | 54% | 0.25% |
| 54–60 in (2Cr) | Weathered bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Wellston soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Wellston soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8 (most land between 5.4 and 5.8). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 96% of mapped Wellston acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (90% of mapped Wellston acres).
>99% of mapped Wellston 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 66% of the acres in mapped Wellston soils very limited, 30% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (4% 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 Wellston soil is found
Mapped acres
Wellston is mapped in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio and West Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Wellston acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Martin County, IN | 79,181 | 36.9% |
| Ohio County, KY | 66,321 | 17.6% |
| Orange County, IN | 63,756 | 25.0% |
| Crawford County, IN | 50,858 | 26.1% |
| Muhlenberg County, KY | 39,353 | 13.1% |
| Grayson County, KY | 37,408 | 11.6% |
| Hancock County, KY | 31,809 | 26.3% |
| Greene County, IN | 31,486 | 9.1% |
| Christian County, KY | 31,147 | 6.8% |
| Pope County, IL | 26,986 | 12.5% |
| Webster County, KY | 26,258 | 12.3% |
| Spencer County, IN | 24,371 | 9.6% |
| Brown County, IN | 24,338 | 12.2% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 19,438 | 6.8% |
| Johnson County, IL | 18,374 | 9.2% |
| Hocking County, OH | 18,030 | 6.7% |
| Washington County, IN | 15,186 | 4.6% |
| Daviess County, KY | 14,913 | 5.1% |
| Perry County, IN | 14,310 | 5.9% |
| Hardin County, IL | 14,148 | 13.7% |
| Perry County, OH | 13,942 | 5.3% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 13,847 | 3.3% |
| Todd County, KY | 13,331 | 5.5% |
| McLean County, KY | 13,327 | 8.2% |
| Hart County, KY | 13,248 | 5.0% |
| Hopkins County, KY | 11,467 | 3.3% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 11,194 | 5.8% |
| Jackson County, IL | 10,904 | 3.1% |
| Caldwell County, KY | 10,760 | 4.9% |
| Monroe County, OH | 10,658 | 3.7% |
| Vanderburgh County, IN | 9,811 | 6.6% |
| Butler County, KY | 9,409 | 3.4% |
| Hardin County, KY | 8,959 | 2.2% |
| Logan County, KY | 8,844 | 2.5% |
| Saline County, IL | 8,457 | 3.5% |
| Dubois County, IN | 7,933 | 2.9% |
| Warrick County, IN | 7,922 | 3.3% |
| Monroe County, IN | 7,584 | 3.0% |
| Livingston County, KY | 6,964 | 3.5% |
| Daviess County, IN | 6,651 | 2.4% |
| Gallatin County, IL | 6,502 | 3.2% |
| Union County, IL | 6,206 | 2.6% |
| Athens County, OH | 6,062 | 1.9% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 5,949 | 1.6% |
| Hamilton County, IL | 5,844 | 2.1% |
| Owen County, IN | 5,394 | 2.2% |
| Warren County, KY | 5,193 | 1.5% |
| Williamson County, IL | 5,061 | 1.9% |
| Union County, KY | 4,983 | 2.3% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 4,756 | 1.4% |
| Posey County, IN | 4,530 | 1.8% |
| Belmont County, OH | 4,181 | 1.2% |
| Harrison County, IN | 4,056 | 1.3% |
| Jackson County, OH | 2,964 | 1.1% |
| Fairfield County, OH | 2,923 | 0.9% |
| Crittenden County, KY | 2,677 | 1.2% |
| Vinton County, OH | 2,597 | 1.0% |
| Randolph County, IL | 2,538 | 0.7% |
| Gallia County, OH | 2,295 | 0.8% |
| Edwards County, IL | 2,218 | 1.6% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Wellston acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 30.0% |
| Very limited | 65.9% |
| Not rated | 4.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Wellston acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.9 feet (35 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 9–27% (median 15%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.1% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 81.6% |
| C: slow infiltration | 14.4% |
| 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 | 4.0% |
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 Wellston (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 962,735 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Wellston components. The profile comes from the single largest Wellston component. Full methodology.