Types of Soils

There are 4 main types of soils; clay, sand, silt and loam. These soils will always be a mixture of one another as there is no true place with one type of soil.

Clay

Clay soils are composed of very fine mineral particles and not much organic material. The resulting soil is sticky since there is not much space between the mineral particles, and it does not let fluids drain well at all. Clay soils can saturate easily when it rains and can create small ponds of water. Clay soils are limited to what type of drain field you can get on your property. Not all types of septic systems are suitable for clay soils.

Silty

Silty soil is characterized by its fine particles like dust. Silty soils can be found in many places where sediments of quartz have settled over time. Silty soils are a mixture of clay and sand where silt is the predominant type of soil. Silty soils are generally suitable for septic systems and the majority of drain fields.

Sandy

Sandy soil is a type of soil where the sand particles are larger than silt and clay. Sand is a very porous soil and makes water travel through sandy soil very easily. This is why a sandy soil is not suitable for a conventional septic drain field because of its ability to filter through ground much faster.

Loamy

Loam soil is a mixture of all three soil components, clay, silt and sand. Loamy soil has the ability to retain enough moisture and allow saturated soil to drain away. That balance is key to preventing standing water conditions on your drain field. This soil is mostly found naturally along river banks and lake banks.