CT ECO Basic Data Guide

Soil Drainage Class

Example of Soil Drainage Class

Description

Drainage Class (natural) refers to the frequency and duration of wet periods under conditions similar to those under which the soil formed. Alterations of the water regime by human activities, either through drainage or irrigation, are not a consideration unless they have significantly changed the morphology of the soil. Seven classes of natural soil drainage are recognized-excessively drained, somewhat excessively drained, well drained, moderately well drained, somewhat poorly drained, poorly drained, and very poorly drained. Drainage classes are from observations of water tables, soil wetness, landscape position and soil morphology. For additional documentation including a description of the map legend for Soils Drainage Class, refer to the CT ECO Complete Resource Guide for Soils Drainage Class.

All soil information included in the CT ECO maps and map viewers is from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Web Soil Survey (WSS), which is based on information originally published on the set of Soil Survey quarter quadrangle maps that cover Connecticut.

Purpose

Drainage classes provide a guide to the limitations and potentials of the soil for field crops, forestry, wildlife, and recreational uses. The class roughly indicates the degree, frequency, and duration of wetness, which are factors in rating soils for various uses.

Use Limitations

This data set is not designed for use as a primary regulatory tool in permitting or siting decisions, but may be used as a reference source. This is public information and may be interpreted by organizations, agencies, units of government, or others based on needs; however, they are responsible for the appropriate application. Federal, State, or local regulatory bodies are not to reassign to the Natural Resources Conservation Service any authority for the decisions that they make. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will not perform any evaluations of these maps for purposes related solely to State or local regulatory programs.

Dataset Information

  • Status - This information is updated as needed. The previously published county soil surveys (published between 1962 and 1981) are superseded by this official soil information. County soil surveys are for historical use only.
  • Date of Data - The original data was collected from published surveys from 1962 to 1981, field mapping from 1985 through 2001 and additional attribute documentation to 3/23/2007.
  • Map Scale and Accuracy - 1:12,000 (1 inch = 12,000 feet). Minimum delineation is 3 acres in size.

Additional Documentation

  • Soil Drainage Class - CT ECO Complete Resource Guide
  • Soil map unit GIS Metadata - Contains technical documentation describing the Soil map units data and the data sources, process steps, and standards used to collect, digitize, and store this information in a geographic information system (GIS).
  • Soil interpretation GIS Metadata – Contains technical documentation describing the data table that defines soil interpretation such as Hydric Soils, Inland Wetland Soils, and Potential for Subsurface Disposal Systems. This lookup table is related to the soil map unit data and used to create the various soil interpretations included in CT ECO.

Originators

GIS Data Download