Soil series profile
Worth soil series
Worth is a well drained soil with a very fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 153,270 acres in 6 counties in NY. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 97% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.3 extremely acidic · range 4.3–4.3
- Mapped area
- 153k acres in 6 counties, 1 state
Typical Worth profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 in (Oi) | Slightly decomposed plant material | 4.3 | Not reported | 25% | 75% |
| 2–2 in (Oe) | Moderately decomposed plant material | 4.0 | Not reported | 30% | 70% |
| 2–3 in (E) | Very fine sandy loam | 4.3 | 7% | 58% | 3% |
| 3–4 in (Bhs1) | Very fine sandy loam | 4.4 | 7% | 58% | 7.5% |
| 4–7 in (Bhs2) | Very fine sandy loam | 4.6 | 7% | 58% | 6.5% |
| 7–21 in (Bhs3) | Very fine sandy loam | 4.9 | 7% | 58% | 6.5% |
| 21–26 in (Bs) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 5.1 | 6% | 62% | 4.5% |
| 26–33 in (Bx1) | Very gravelly loamy fine sand | 5.1 | 2% | 76% | 0.25% |
| 33–50 in (Bx2) | Gravelly loamy fine sand | 5.0 | 2% | 76% | 0.25% |
| 50–79 in (C) | Gravelly loamy fine sand | 5.4 | 2% | 76% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Worth soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Worth soils is extremely acidic: pH 4.3. 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 98% of mapped Worth acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is very fine sandy loam (97% of mapped Worth acres).
100% of mapped Worth 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 98% of the acres in mapped Worth soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (3% 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 Worth soil is found
Mapped acres
Worth is mapped in New York.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Oswego County, NY | 69,163 | 11.4% |
| Lewis County, NY | 44,686 | 5.5% |
| Oneida County, NY | 29,012 | 3.7% |
| Franklin County, NY | 10,379 | 1.0% |
| Jefferson County, NY | 26 | 0.0% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 4 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Worth acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 97.5% |
| Not rated | 2.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Worth acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.0 feet (24 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 6–20% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
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 | 97.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.1% |
| 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 | 2.5% |
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 Worth (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 153,270 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Worth components. The profile comes from the single largest Worth component. Full methodology.