Soil Survey

What is the Soil Survey?

The Soil Survey is a national program to inventory the soils on all lands in the United States. The information gathered has both scientific and practical value. The soil maps, soil descriptions and interpretive data are used frequently by a very wide range of people.

The Soil Survey program began decades ago and has evolved over time. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the lead federal agency in this cooperative effort and views the Soil Survey as one of its most valuable core programs. Working in conjunction with state Land Grant Universities, State agencies, local units of government, Indian Tribes and other federal agencies, NRCS provides technical and operational leadership in the preparation of Soil Surveys throughout the nation. Soil mapping of the United States is well along and has produced a very widely used natural resource information base of immense value.

The Rhode Island Soil Survey

NRCS field soil scientists prepared the Soil Survey of Rhode Island in the 1970’s, with assistance from the University of Rhode Island and other local sponsoring agencies. The report was published in 1981. The maps were digitized and the information became available in soft form in the late 1980’s. NRCS staff continues to assist a wide range of users of this soils information. Realtors, developers, farmers, foresters, municipal planners, tax assessors, teachers, students, consulting engineers, transportation officials, environmental consultants are just some of the constituents for this information. Creative new uses for the soils information are surfacing each year.

Information you will find in the Rhode Island Soil Survey

• Maps showing the soil types located throughout the state
• Descriptions of each soil type
• Ratings information about each soil, such as:
• Depth to water table
• Whether the soil is usually located in wetlands
• Suitability of the soil for septic systems, homes with basements, etc.
• Whether the soil meets USDA’s Prime Farmland criteria
• Suitability as a source of construction materials, such as topsoil, gravel, etc.
• Permeability values, useful for calculating movement of water through the soil
• Soil erosion potential