Soil series profile

Zanesville soil series

Zanesville is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 921,894 acres in 86 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.

#212 by mapped area fine-silty Oxyaquic Fragiudalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Hydrologic group: C
Typical topsoil pH: 5.9
Mapped area: 922k

Typical Zanesville 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 Zanesville horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–4 in (Ap)	Silt loam	5.9	19%	6%	1.25%
4–23 in (Bt)	Silt loam	5.0	25%	7%	0.25%
23–34 in (Btx)	Silty clay loam	5.0	30%	10%	0.25%
34–56 in (2C)	Clay loam	5.0	30%	27%	0.1%
56–66 in (R)	Bedrock	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Representative values from the most extensive Zanesville map unit (Zanesville silt loam, 6 to 12 percent slopes, severely eroded, survey area KY055). 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 Zanesville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Zanesville soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.9 (most land between 5.3 and 5.9). 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 98% of mapped Zanesville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (97% of mapped Zanesville acres).

>99% of mapped Zanesville acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

On 98% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 98% of the acres in mapped Zanesville 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.

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

Where Zanesville soil is found

Mapped acres

Zanesville is mapped in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. The 60 counties with the most Zanesville acres:

Counties with the most mapped Zanesville soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Grayson County, KY	59,488	18.5%
Hopkins County, KY	53,540	15.4%
Ohio County, KY	51,305	13.6%
Crittenden County, KY	48,485	21.1%
Christian County, KY	47,365	10.3%
Breckinridge County, KY	44,797	12.4%
Caldwell County, KY	44,483	20.1%
Muhlenberg County, KY	42,977	14.3%
Dubois County, IN	35,680	13.0%
Livingston County, KY	28,937	14.6%
Pope County, IL	26,113	12.1%
Logan County, KY	25,513	7.2%
Webster County, KY	24,995	11.7%
Spencer County, IN	23,335	9.2%
Johnson County, IL	22,335	11.1%
Warren County, KY	17,764	5.1%
Crawford County, IN	17,536	9.0%
Warrick County, IN	16,312	6.7%
Pike County, IN	14,647	6.9%
Muskingum County, OH	14,415	3.4%
Perry County, IN	13,700	5.6%
Todd County, KY	12,858	5.3%
Hamilton County, IL	12,646	4.6%
Martin County, IN	11,931	5.6%
Wayne County, IL	11,558	2.6%
Hancock County, KY	11,278	9.3%
Greene County, IN	11,275	3.3%
Monroe County, OH	11,183	3.8%
Saline County, IL	9,896	4.1%
Washington County, OH	8,824	2.2%
Meade County, KY	8,377	4.3%
Owen County, IN	8,199	3.4%
Vanderburgh County, IN	7,834	5.3%
Perry County, OH	7,520	2.9%
Orange County, IN	7,415	2.9%
Noble County, OH	7,238	2.8%
Guernsey County, OH	7,146	2.1%
Washington County, IN	6,910	2.1%
Henderson County, KY	5,261	1.9%
Hardin County, IL	5,157	5.0%
Butler County, KY	5,149	1.9%
Williamson County, IL	5,141	2.0%
Daviess County, KY	5,050	1.7%
Jefferson County, IL	4,586	1.3%
Hart County, KY	4,507	1.7%
White County, IL	4,343	1.4%
Daviess County, IN	4,233	1.5%
Edwards County, IL	4,132	2.9%
Monroe County, IN	4,022	1.6%
Union County, IL	3,822	1.6%
McLean County, KY	3,813	2.3%
Morgan County, IN	2,995	1.2%
Vinton County, OH	2,303	0.9%
Trigg County, KY	1,924	0.7%
Hocking County, OH	1,882	0.7%
Harrison County, IN	1,880	0.6%
Athens County, OH	1,817	0.6%
Union County, KY	1,678	0.8%
Gallia County, OH	1,539	0.5%
Hardin County, KY	1,360	0.3%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Zanesville acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited 98%

Not rated 3%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Zanesville acres.
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 Zanesville acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 2.0 feet (24 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 4% of acres.
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 4–14% (median 9%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.5%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 2%

Moderately well drained 98%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated <1%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Zanesville acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	2.0%
Moderately well drained	97.6%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	0.4%

Hydrologic soil group

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

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 52%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 8%

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 37%

Not rated 3%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Zanesville acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
C: slow infiltration	52.1%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)	8.2%
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	37.2%
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 Zanesville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 921,894 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Zanesville components. The profile comes from the single largest Zanesville component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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