Section II A – Soils Information

Part 7 – Soil Interpretations

Subpart h. – Engineering

Introduction – Water Features

This section contains information related to water features. The soil moisture status report by County is located in this section. The hydrologic soil groups are also part of the soil moisture status report.To obtain flooding or ponding reports for any given county in the e-FOTG, go to section IIA, Soils Information, Part 1. County Reports-Database and download the county of interest. Once downloaded, the MDB file can be used in MS-Access to print flooding or ponding reports.

Also in this section for some Counties is a Water Features table that displays seasonal high water table depths, ponding and flooding hazards. As County data is updated the Water Features report will be replaced with the soil moisture status report.

Water Features

Soil moisture status is an estimate of the fluctuating water content in a soil. It greatly influences vegetation type and plant growth; physical properties of soils, such as permeability, workability, strength, linear extensibility, and frost action; and chemical interactions and transport. Many other properties, qualities, and interpretations also are affected. Soil moisture status is important in the classification of soils, wetland, and habitat. The soil moisture status report gives estimates of soil moisture for each component of a map unit at various depths for every month of the year. The depths displayed are representative values that are indicative of conditions that occur most of the time. Dry indicates a moisture condition under which most plants (especially crops) cannot extract water for growth. Moist indicates a moisture condition under which soil water is most readily available for plant growth. Wet indicates a condition under which water will stand in an unlined hole or at least a condition under which the soil is too wet for the growth of most agricultural species. A moisture status of 4.0-6.7 (wet) indicates that most of the time the component is saturated at some depth between 4.0 feet and 6.7 feet during the month designated. In some years the soil may be saturated at a depth of less than 4.0 feet or more than 6.7 feet; however, field observations indicate that the soil will be saturated between these depths in most years. In the summer, the soil may show the effects of drying plus intermittent rains that result in a moist or wet layer over a dry layer that gets moist or wet again.

Hydrologic soil groups are groups of soils that, when saturated, have the same runoff potential under similar storm and ground cover conditions. The soil properties that affect the runoff potential are those that influence the minimum rate of infiltration in a bare soil after prolonged wetting and when the soil is not frozen. These properties include the depth to a zone in which the soil moisture status is wet, the infiltration rate, permeability after prolonged wetting, and the depth to a very slowly permeable horizon or horizons. The influences of ground cover and slope are treated independently and are not taken into account in hydrologic soil groups. In the definitions of the hydrologic soil groups, the infiltration rate is the rate at which water enters the soil at the surface and is controlled by surface conditions. The transmission rate is the rate at which water moves through the soil and is controlled by properties of the soil horizons.

The four hydrologic soil groups are:

Group A. Soils having a high infiltration rate (low runoff potential) when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of very deep, well drained to excessively drained sands or gravelly sands. These soils have a high rate of water transmission.

Group B. Soils having a moderate infiltration rate when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of moderately deep or deep, moderately well drained or well drained soils that have a moderately fine to moderately coarse texture. These soils have a moderate rate of water transmission.

Group C. Soils having a slow infiltration rate when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of soils having a horizon or horizons that impede the downward movement of water or soils that have a moderately fine or fine texture. These soils have a slow rate of water transmission.

Group D. Soils having a very slow infiltration rate (high runoff potential) when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of clayey soils that have a high linear extensibility; soils that have a zone, high in the profile, in which the soil moisture status is wet on a permanent basis; soils that have a claypan or clay horizon or horizons at or near the surface; and soils that are shallow over nearly impervious material. These soils have a very slow rate of water transmission.

Flooding, the temporary covering of the soil surface by flowing water, is caused by overflow from streams or by runoff from adjacent slopes. Shallow water standing or flowing for short periods after rainfall or snowmelt is not considered flooding. Standing water in marshes and swamps or in closed depressions is considered to be ponding.

The flooding report gives estimates of the frequency and duration of flooding every month of the year. Flooding frequency is the annual probability of flood event expressed as a class. None indicates no reasonable possibility of flooding (the chance of flooding is nearly 0 percent in any year, or flooding is likely less than once in 500 years). Very rare indicates that flooding is very unlikely but possible under extremely unusual weather conditions (the chance of flooding is less than 1 percent in any year, or flooding is likely less than once in 100 years but more than once in 500 years). Rare indicates that flooding is unlikely but possible under unusual weather conditions (the chance of flooding is 1 to 5 percent in any year, or flooding is likely 1 to 5 times in 100 years). Occasional indicates that flooding occurs infrequently under usual weather conditions (the chance of flooding is 5 to 50 percent in any year, or flooding is likely 5 to 50 times in 100 years). Frequent indicates that flooding is likely to occur often under usual weather conditions (the chance of flooding is more than 50 percent in any year, or flooding is likely more than 50 times in 100 years; but the chance of flooding is less than 50 percent in all months in any year). Very frequentindicates that flooding is likely to occur very often under usual weather conditions (the chance of flooding is more than 50 percent in all months of any year).

Flooding duration is the average duration of inundation per flood occurrence expressed as a class. Extremely brief is 0.1 hour to 4.0 hours,very brief is 4 to 48 hours, briefis 2 to 7 days, long is 7 to 30 days, and very long is more than 30 days.About two-thirds to three-fourths of all flooding occurs during the stated period.The information on flooding is based on evidence in the soil profile, namely thin strata of gravel, sand, silt, or clay deposited by floodwater; irregular decrease in organic matter content with increasing depth; and little or no horizon development.Also considered are local information about the extent and level of flooding and the relation of each soil on the landscape to historic floods. Information on the extent of flooding based on soil data is less specific than that provided by detailed engineering surveys that delineate flood-prone areas at specific flood frequency levels.

Ponding is standing water in a closed depression. Unless a drainage system is installed, the water is removed only by percolation, transpiration, or evaporation. This report gives estimates of the frequency, duration, and depth of ponding for every month of the year. The depths displayed are representative values that are indicative of conditions that occur most of the time.

Ponding frequency is the number of times ponding occurs over a period of time. Noneindicates no reasonable possibility of ponding (the chance of ponding is nearly 0 percent in any year). Rare indicates that ponding is unlikely but possible under unusual weather conditions (the chance of ponding is nearly 0 percent to 5 percent in any year, or ponding is likely 0 to 5 times in 100 years). Occasionalindicates that ponding is expected infrequently under usual weather conditions (the chance of ponding is 5 to 50 percent in any one year, or ponding is likely 5 to 50 times in 100 years). Frequent indicates that ponding is likely to occur under usual weather conditions (the chance of ponding is more than 50 percent in any year, or ponding is likely more than 50 times in 100 years).

Ponding duration is the average length of time of the ponding occurrence. Ponding duration is expressed as very brief(less than 2 days), brief(2 to 7 days), long(7 to 30 days), and very long(more than 30 days).