What is a soil map?

     A soil map summarizes the location of different features of the ground beneath your feet and how that ground can be utilized, developed, and preserved.

     In our landscapes, different soils exist alongside each other in complex patterns. These different soils interact and affect how water moves and what plants occur in a specific site. Their differences are revealed through their soil properties.

     To find these soil properties, I go to the landscape and hand auger holes or dig pits to see the features of the soil. These features and properties help me identify the soil and compare it to adjacent soils.

     Lastly, the soils are described by their properties and roughly separated from different soils by lines on a map. Then, interpretations and land use can be implemented, typically for wastewater treatment.

     When I map for septic systems, I am locating an area where your field lines will distribute effluent for treatment in the environment. It is important for you to respect this mapped environment. Keep buildings, heavy equipment, bulldozers, and whatever else you can dream up that limits the soil's capacity to treat wastewater out of the mapped area.