Table Of Content

Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. &J-/T^ United States Hydric Soils Departmentof Agriculture Soil of the Conservation Service Miscellaneous United States Publication Number 1491 6 In cooperation with the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils —*-C^O-' 960143 National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils M.J. Mausbach, Chairperson, SCS, Lincoln, NE J.R. Culver, SCS, Lincoln, NE D.S. Fanning, Agronomy Dept., University of Maryland, College Park, MD R.L. Guthrie, Auburn University, Auburn, AL R. Miles, SCS, West National Technical Center, Portland, OR W.B. Parker, HYDRICSOILS, Woodland, AL W. Patrick, Jr., Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA P.B. Reed, Jr., Fish and Wildlife Service, St. Petersburg, FL R.W. Skaggs, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC W. Sipple, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC H.C. Smith, SCS, Northeast National Technical Center, Chester, PA B.M. Teels, SCS, Washington, DC R. Theriot, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS A. Touchet, SCS, Alexandria, LA C. Voigt, Bureau of Land Management, Washington, D.C. D. Williams, SCS, South National Technical Center, Fort Worth, TX Procedures for Commenting on the List of Hydric Soils If you have comments on the criteria for hydric soils orif soils should be removed from oradded to the list of hydric soils, gathersupporting data to make yourcase and either: (1) Submit the documentation and the proposed changes in the criteria along with your supporting data to Maurice J. Mausbach, Chairperson, National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils (NTCHS), SCS, Room 152, Federal Building, 100 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508-3866, or (2) Submit supporting documentation and the proposed changes in the definition of the series to the USDA, Soil Conservation Service State office with copies tothe Chairperson, National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils. Supporting documentation must include information on the geographic area (soil survey area) and hydrology, vegetation, and soil characteristics that support changing the definition of the soil series. Addresses of SCS State offices are given in appendix 1. Awritten response will be given to inquiries within a reasonable time. Revised Editions of the List of Hydric Soils This is the third edition of "Hydric Soils of the United States." The second edition was issued December 1987. The list of hydric soils will be updated as changes in the criteria are implemented. Copies of this publication can be obtained by contacting Maurice J. Mausbach, NTCHS, SCS, Room 152, Federal Building, 100 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508-3866 (Telephone 402-437-5423). June 1991 All programs and services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis, without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, or handicap. USDA, National Agricultural Libran/ NAL E!dg y 10301 Baltimore Blvd MD Beitsviiie, 20705-2351 . Introduction Hydric soils are developed under sufficiently wet conditions to support the growth and regeneration of hydrophyticvegetation. This list includes phases of soil seriesthat may or may not have been drained. Some series, designated as hydric, have phasesthat are not hydric depending on watertable, flooding, and ponding characteristics. This list of hydric soils was created by computerusing criteria developed bythe National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils. The criteria are selected soil propertiesthat are documented in Soil Taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff, 1975, 1990) and Soil Interpretations Records (Soil Survey Staff, 1983). This listwill have a numberof agricultural and nonagricultural applications. These include assistance in land-use planning, conservation planning, and assessment of potential wildlife habitat. Acombination of the hydric soil, hydrophytic vegetation, and hydrology criteria defineswetlands as described in the Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (Federal Interagency Committee for Wetland Delineation, 1989). Therefore, an areathat meetsthe hydric soil criteria must also meetthe hydrophytic vegetation and wetland hydrology criteria in orderforit to be classified as ajurisdictional wetland. The general list of hydricsoils inthis publication is maintained in a computerfile and is updated each October. The most current list of hydric soils may be obtained forthe cost of printing fromthe Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Project Manager, Statistical Laboratory, Iowa State University, 217 Snedecor Hall, Ames, IA50011. State lists of hydric soils are availablefromthe SCS State Conservationist in each State. The SCS also maintains for each conservation district inthe United States listsof map unitsthat contain or may in some delineations contain hydric soils. These detailed lists are available bycontacting the respective SCS State Conservationist and are recommended foruse in making wetland determinations. Definition of Hydric Soil A hydric soil is a soil that is saturated, flooded, orponded long enough during the growing seasonto develop anaerobic conditions in the upperpart. The following criteria reflect those soilsthat meet this definition. Criteria for Hydric Soils 1 All Histosols except Folists, or 2. Soils in Aquic suborder, Aquic subgroups, Albolls suborder, Salorthids great group, Pell great groups of Vertisols, Pachic subgroups, orCumulic subgroupsthat are: a. Somewhat poorlydrained and have afrequently occurringwatertable at less than 0.5 foot (ft) from the surface for a significant period (usually more than 2weeks) duringthe growing season, or b. poorlydrained orvery poorly drained and have either: (1) afrequently occurringwatertable at lessthan 0.5 ft fromthe surface fora significant period (usually more than 2weeks) during the growing season if textures are coarse sand, sand, orfine sand in all layerswithin 20 inches (in), orforothersoils (2) afrequently occurringwatertable at less than 1.0 ftfromthe surface fora significant period (usually more than 2weeks) duringthe growing season if permeability is equalto orgreaterthan 6.0 in/horizon (h) in all layers within 20 in, or (3) afrequently occurringwatertable at lessthan 1.5ft fromthe surfacefora significant period (usually more than 2weeks) during the growing season if permeability is less than 6.0 in/h in any layerwithin 20 in, or 3. Soilsthat are frequently ponded for long duration orvery long duration during the growing season, or 4. Soils that arefrequentlyflooded for long duration orvery long duration during the growing season. Glossary of Terms Used in Defining Hydric Soils anaerobic: a situation in which molecular oxygen is absent from the environment. drained: acondition in which ground orsurface water has been removed by artificial means. flooded: a condition in which the soil surface is temporarily covered with flowing waterfrom any source, such as streams overflowingtheirbanks, runoff from adjacent orsurrounding slopes, inflowfrom high tides, or any combination of sources. frequently flooded, ponded, saturated: a frequency class in which flooding, ponding, or saturation is likelyto occuroften underusual weatherconditions (more than 50-percent chance in any year, or more than 50 times in 100 years). growing season: the portion of the yearwhen soil temperatures are above biologic zero in the upper part. The following growing season months are assumed for each of the soil temperature regimes of Soil Taxonomy: Isohyperthermic: January-December Hyperthermic: February-December Isothermic: January-December Thermic: February-October Isomesic: January-December Mesic: March-October Frigid: May-September Cryic: June-August Pergelic: July-August hydrophytic vegetation: plant life growing in water or on a substrate that is at least periodically deficient in oxygen as a result of excessive water content. long duration: a duration class in which inundation for a single event ranges from 7 days to 1 month. permeability: the quality of the soil that enables waterto move downward through the profile, measured as the numberof inches per hourthatwater moves downward through the saturated soil. phase, soil: a subdivision of a soil series based on features that affect its use and management (e.g., slope, surface texture, stoniness, and thickness). ponded: a condition in which water stands in a closed depression. The water is removed only by percolation, evaporation, ortranspiration. poorly drained: water is removed from the soil so slowly that the soil is saturated periodically during the growing season or remains wet for long periods. saturated: a condition in which all voids (pores) between soil particles are filled with water. soil series: a group of soils having horizons similar in differentiating characteristics and arrangements in the soil profile, except fortexture of the surface layer. somewhat poorly drained: water is removed slowly enough that the soil is wet for significant periods during the growing season. very long duration: a duration class in which inundation for a single event is greater than 1 month. very poorly drained: water is removed from the soil so slowly that free water remains at oron the surface during most of the growing season. watertable: the zone of saturation at the highest average depth during the wettest season. It is at least 6 inchesthick and persists in the soilfor morethan afewweeks. Literature Cited Federal Interagency Committee forWetland Delineation. 1989. Federal Manualfor Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Soil Conservation Service, Washington, D.C. Cooperative technical publication. 76 pp. plus appendixes. Soil Survey Staff. 1983. National Soils Handbook. USDA Soil Conservation Service, Washington D.C. Soil Survey Staff. 1990. Keys to Soil Taxonomy. Agencyfor International Development and USDA, SCS, Soil Management Support Staff Tech. Mono. No. 19, 4th ed., Virginia Poly. Tech. Inst, and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA. 422 pp. Soil Survey Staff. 1975. Soil Taxonomy: A Basic Systemof Soil Classification andfor Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys. USDA Soil Conservation Service, Agric. Hdbk. No. 436, Robert E. Kierger Publishing Co., Inc., Melbourne, FL. 754 pp. Hydric Soils of the United States "Hydric Soils of the United States" includes at least one phase in the listing that meets the hydric soil criteria. The list does not include soils that are classified at categories higherthan the series level in Soil Taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff 1975, 1990) nor does it include map units that may contain these series. The list is useful in identifying map units that may contain hydric soils. SCS has developed local lists of map units that contain hydric soils foreach countyorparish in the United States. These local lists are available atthe SCS State offices (appendix 1) and are the preferred listsfor use in making wetland determinations. The local lists are developed using this national listof hydric soils and the criteriafor hydric soils. This list has more information than previous lists. It includes footnotes for soil series that are knownto have nonhydric phases, a temperature column showing the temperature regimes foralltaxa, improvements in the information in the critical phase criteria column, and changes fromthe previous edition of this publication (appendixes 2 and 3). The critical phase criteria column has been misunderstood by many users. This column in some cases determinesthe capability class and subclass. Forsome soils not all of the listed critical phases are hydric. Forexample, it is highly probable that steeply sloping phases of some series may not meet the criteriafor hydric soils. <1< 11ti1 . *i i- 1 H i 1 i i 1 1 00<-J00 Qz< c31a 00<-I00 3r^- LcUo 3L0 3r- 3r- l3> C3O 3^r l3o C3N 3CN L3O 030 T3 C3O 3ro C3O 3T L3O L30 T3 > CJ 00 CJ 1—- CY h- _l 00 ^-< —<1 < M- aa0<<3 Ci1-aC-JJ-iioLo<XtU.oHtL1CCc--YJyUi »Oi— Lorl0- __<ll OLzlSQ2-AUHL t<SCoA(-YoJL LC<INOE __<lJ —_<I) LziCaa<-YUi LfCaz3Qz<-YUi 5O0<OCoC1NJ0«5C0CCoL<«1MJOJ0 LOLCuYU UuCaQZ<YJh lCQZQLZ<3-YUH __<ll <__li 5oT15 _<_ll <__Jl _<_ll CLOLUYu o < a lac-Hai-1imla-HsLoaU ro- m ro CO ^ 3 ro rmo cmo CO CO CO CO ro CO CO ro ro CO I CJ h- Z DCNO CM CN CCOM CCON cCaN CCDM OCQM 0C0M CCOM cCcM C03M CClNT C03M <3- 0Ihz-0 3z3 z33 z33 C2<Y CL<LY La<.Y 2O <>21 a<I CL01LU0 QCLIUJ oz>1 3z<i LU Z UJ O lC-Yl iH— OJ HOOD UiMo/i >aCz-3^ Ca<3Y azo_l Co_Z3l tCcLL—1YaUU Oza Caz3 oza >O_—li hT- ocJ > > > _i _: _i I/) uo. IX > QhLr-u (1Zz—3 oLz3U zo-<J o<z La<U L<U UC<YJ a_<zj hZ- z ltUUH3<<3_1oOl ULLI112<2z—-UJU c2LQU_tHiZ-3--HlOLCLCOUYUNIC0LZJU0 LzozoCVOU I0<CCooCV—JJO0 1oCoOCo<V—JOo1 oLzozCVUO LzozoCaViUO LzozoCVUO Coo2oCzsVJD zoLZoCVUO azzolLaViOU LzotLzV1o£U LZoozC1/DU 0<CCoJJ0 ooLzCzVUO LoUOLCC3VUuYJO' oCLazZVOU LUUOC3OCVYUJ.O LU cy i-h »1Cnz|_Oo=><23-—.-Jl< H=L_0CLLQaHKa-iJUUO0< L1<lC<3II-JU-YH L-Ch<-U1O \ZLQ0Ia2i(a-U-_0 aOCz3C<o3I1NY L0C0TO0<o11Y.--U0 *CLaz<3OoiI-JU CaooCa<LTi1-JYU _<2OC"33o>1IN-l 1>sozoi<>+11n-- OzonO_33>Ii1 QCOoCUa<*i1-JYJl CLOoL<z<3IYOL <LCC1Lz3O*XI1O~UNO1 ao*oCuL<51iU-Y oLzazo33>11O Lo,zaz3>+311O- ozLo,z>3+31iO_ <<oCoCCa32i1M.OY Q. a1— UC>OJ c> mZ1 OLU<10/01 a>. L>L X"0 aI aa< < C_Jl a_ a> a. C>L CL a> 0. Cl a. a a a- LY- C>L < o >a-H u. UcCC(>iae——-JJJ. <Oo=iLHia——fU cLQ2L1iy.UU— lC3H<uY i0CL2—JU0 C1lL2-JU0H C•oL2—JUo< 0C—L2ooi-JU0oi aiCiCL——3YUit oi20L—U0 o10L2—U01 C1CK5LIJHUY— C1C>2LI—Y—JU 1o>2aLI"—UH C2ClL-/UJHl a>olCL-—YUH CQ^'lL-YuHJH Co>C1C——YuJ1 CL1^5LIY-HJU a O X I — • r- QOaaCa330z0LiCL0<—.OY0UU00 w\fC•*13hL131O0C<--M*--U--0-D1.0\zL3o<>Lo-hLL3->-ULY-U01 \r~0t0o13o-<C<--00-—ID^101ZLO3Ll13<>-Ca>-—UU0JJ.—H —\oh3Ll0z-<<C0<r----U-10J01H10HZLo3<>3_LC1Q>1--UlUJ.-0—1 —~00CLziOtLOct—<<--00JU-Yo*ii. C130a_3O<<C->h_l—0Ji-Ol "LCOoOOOi0<C<-OD-J0» o__O3O<Q<Io-0h_>oll-!-l- f~CC-oZ-Z<2CLC*<O>OYJU 01Lc3O<2IC>10i3I---UlJ-00lH S>_CoOCLcO2C¥<HYylLUJ~0OO<iaLiCQ^Z<--1JUYrii 01zLoLC-CL3<>3<—UuJ0iYU1 ——OCOLaLCC-<>-<<OUY-IUJ> CL_<3O<CXCOCHQ>hYUlJJH.-O ^*rCOO02O1Z<Q<--M-0- 0L3OCCOC-Ch—<<X>YuJJHL-I-0 ——CCOO10ClaQ<x¥--JMO0H oCClCh0-O3O<-<->-YJL-10JH ——CCCO>ZLU<<OMUJ~M LCLCO<CXCOlC<<3_-/UYYUJJJH0 "w2aOCcOZo3<l3a><-Oo>H 0(aL3O<C<XCi_o2__-LJ-.Uiil0i LaQQLQOo_o23<l3<-uUJH —Z—CCO>>OO~ U<Xu1o2t10oo_-e3J—.j-_JJJo aQlQQcaoo23<3<z-.uH •—tCOZ->—-O Xl_2thLL<_LC_aO<3-YYUJl-lloH \——COO02CUa<CT-NYJNJ0|(LulQCio0Z>3-33<---U_J10HH ii i<|'<' <1 i1 <i < 1 i i i 00 Q 00 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 > (O<_/l) Z< CC31QO l-C</1Jl CO T co ^r lo ^f L0 ^r lo CN CO CN r- ^r CO L0 CO CD CD CD r-- CN CD f- h- 1^ -1 t—l _<1 < acC<<jO MU>1Co-—CiUlC0<LI0hHcLioclrU-j tQQQLZ<-iUH QQLz«<aU LZt<caz3a-lUH LiCQQZ<-LUH LJcQQZ<Z3—lUi aQLz-<OiU• aQaLZi<Z3-Ui LCazi<a-ULi oLziCQZ<3-LUH __<ll QLZI<cQZ3t-U:H QLz-<aaU <__ii __<ii 0CCoLQQ<<JUii0J-OLQLUiL __<JJ OLQLiUU LQ<QUii 0<CCOJJ0 ^COlO aLz-<QaUi aLz1Qa<z3-iU1 __<ll O < H 1 Mil0li CO -r CO CO CO Qa>IiOo>-:•HCl-LuDCszO CLCOUM CCCNOO- 'n"-- 'm»• D*"- CCCOON CCCOON CCCOON CC<ON- CCCOQN CDCOQN- <CN CCCOQN cCCoQN» *- cItz-o z33 oz> CC<LL z3~> Ca<L. 0LC-UO 2>< 5o KCO1J LCLiLOU z<31 Oz>1 z<31 QC<1Li O>zI n 3 — O_i Z x ^ o K- 2 ^3 1<- LCfUl uo a3 LLLU ohia_—-l 1CiI—-O _ChQaoz-3i Q co_zsl Cia>—Oi HCLLCLLHOU. uLIQD—i.UOI L1uQC—U_iQ1 Ooz_l uL1QC—.UiO1 co Uo. LL 1Z- 1Z- LLHQLoH<3<TUUO iLCZ|z<2L—rU-3U Z >zL3OLaL-UUL oLzozU oLZoZU LoZozU 1LoLcLOz3Ll-UU. UoLCCoz<z1LULJ COzo22OJ L0Co<-iUL 0CCozo<-<JJJ0 LzozoU oLzozU LLQLLQ<QOoD1iLUUiiU ooLZzU L3OLQLLQ<QO1iLiiUUU zoICCCoo_<<—JJlOI 1zLOLQLo3UiL-U ooLZzU iU3T/Ji LczslU. 2aLQ.Ui-1-3<—OCMIILO<Z-TU>) CVO IVD cVD CVO LV0 CVO LV0 CVO CVD CVO CVD CVD CVD CVD CAiiD hUiQMfou=a<ZZ3.-e-J^ LCLh>OO->LUM_/—U--UOJ1 cL13Iot<I—lU— L-C<hIQ-U 01o21CLaXzX-—L0U 1z33OooCLOi1—NO >zCOO„33*+iiJ-_- 2zo><o1>,+I1_- zhCOLoo33+!1-JO >2ozo<>t,+t1-_ o_OznO'33>1ii- CzooC<<3*11L-L CLLCCOi,<+11-LUOLl_O CL0(<O,3+I1LU3_0 zOz33>Oo111- Laoz3Ci3r+11n-JU ><2Z<3LoT|IO-- 0LCQC<OCo11iL-UNO 3OzL»,Z3>+I1-O_ oOLaz<3CL"iiO~UO LC>2~UD> >aaar-. -0Z<Q-1i LC<UO tI<-O/1o) 0. >0_ C>L a>. L>^ a Q. a> 0Cl0 C>L C>l C0L0 C0CLL0 CL C>L < o H LU haL>auuiaQI-—:-J* =—cUi<-au—l-J QLC5L1iULU— LO3h<Ui- QtotaL——.L CaiiaL——L5 h0oL2UH0 „uioL2—Uoi „u1LL2—UO Co2MLOU oCLK»2I-LU1 CCi2LXH—LUJi CLO"C>I0-LUL0' C12CL(X-JLU-H C0Li2—JU0 C1CL2—JOU1 OoL2i—oU C10L2—JU0 L2CiC—UJOi Ci0L2OcM—JU0oi IUIIJ- LUCXJUO a3OcoC3LQ(L*CZ<LI-//cQLOUUiI) -N00TO2COQzX_<—^10Ll 0O3Oa__<_<Xc«C1>lllj0L-- *—cOZ2QLaoaCoCTzxa_<-oULO-.i^-oOOao-Ct_-3<_<i>1-L-ii-o ——0CoO—2ZIo<o<-0:NH 0t01C0<0iaL2C1CCLt—---.LUJLL-000U1i1 —CcO>2aLQoOLlCc-Z<Q<--NoULLoI(i-oloiCaO>aL2CiCL\<C-—--L.JL-LoOUUoii< —L0COl2oL1<2Z1QQ<<<A--O0OO-iH1•0i0iCaOiQLL<2C1CC1----LULJL-000Uii1 ~~OCo¥\L-<ZO<-O-Lt 001_QO<XC32O__<_33—.llJ0Jl ^h—L*C<OzLO<O*U-U 0<a1__O3O_C<ICi>——LlllJ-0i ^—titO«<C-<<<Za<*----f-JIJ1-i•0-oO<0<C12O-3_I_33-.1JlJl11 /wQCCOOLQQ>a3<--iOUiiO•> 0tLiQCL1o3_CC3--LU-lLJUo0i1 —^1a\iOo2_O<I--r>-J->C__o3O<_a<IciiQL>—ll.j-iiUOi aLooLotOazZ-X<_UL-1i-~—LOo2-»Or- Lo__OOao11Q>3<_<X—i—iUioi1 ^~<CtO(—<323Z<X<---^-1* 0oOQaC101__3<3>-iJ.-ll01 -——C11aaQi<0CO3Q»---i\-0OiDi|o<Q1oiCh-o3O<Z>_-i-L-1-oii —OO1^<<CC3z*—D:N-1 toICL3O<-0<XCiC>—L-—LU.J-oIi ——L»CO1i<<I\_<--O-N£l1i C1iQCCOaoQ1C1QQL1L<——iii-iL-JU-OOOi1