Sunday, February 21, 2010

Enjoying the Archived PDF County Soil Survey


If you are someone who likes to read paper more than a screen, you may consider using the Archived PDFs of the County Soil Surveys instead of the online web soil survey.

From the archived Travis County survey, I found out that the soil under our house is part of the Blackland Prairie Texas ecosystem. We live on the Houston Black series, which is the state soil of Texas. Its usefulness in crop production is mentioned, and it also warns that its shrink-swell capabilities ... well, let me just quote it.
"The main limitations in use of the soils of this association in urbanization are the shrink-swell characteristics, as they affect foundations and streets; corrosivity, as it affects pipelines and cables; and the poor suitability of the soils for septic systems."
Our whole street is on this soil, and many of us are having foundation issues, and pipeline issues. The corrosivity that the survey mentions is showing up on our own rusted pipes.

Why is it corrosive? Is it more than just the high water holding capacity? Interesting...

Anyways, if there is anything for which you'd like to use your soil, you'll find it here in these soil surveys. Awesome!

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