For online web soil surveys go to http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm

Step 1. Click the green button, “Start WSS” in the center of the screen.

The home page of the online web soil survey should look like

Step 2. Select location by one of the following: address; state and county; or Lat and Long. And click the view button. These are the simplest methods. For this example I have chosen my home address.

Step 3. Use the (+) and (-) magnifiers to zoom in and out. Use the hand tool to move the aerial view. Zoom into the area that you want the information about. Try to get as close as possible.

Step 4. Use the AOI (area of interest) button to select the area you are interested in. There are 2 AOI buttons. One for rectangular parcels and one for irregular shaped parcels. Double click to create the AOI.

An area of interest should have been completed and look similar to,

Step 5. Click on the Soil Map tab near the top left of the screen. This will tell you about the soil types and quantities within the area of interest.

If at any time you would like to print what is shown, click on the Printable Version tab near the right hand side of the screen.

Step 6. Click on the Soil Data Explorer tab next to the Soil Map tab near the top left of the screen. Then click on the Suitabilities and Limitations that is shown now below the Soil Data Explorer tab. There are many different groups and sub groups available to review. Some of these groups may have importance to your project others may not. You will need to decide which ones are important.

Just for reference I have chosen the group Water Management and the sub group Pond Reservoir areas. I think I want to build a pond on my site. From a soil standpoint would my site be suitable for a pond?

For color reference, blue is good, yellow is somewhat limited, and red is very limited. You can see that the area on the south of this property is very limited to creating a pond. This is because of karst topography and the presence of a sinkhole within that area. So at this point I may want to reconsider the idea of building a pond, at least near the south end of the property.

While on this web-page if you scroll down you see more information regarding the chosen subgroup within the area of interest.

Step 7. Select Soil Properties tab next to the Suitabilities and Limitations tab. This again gives you more groups and subgroups. Again you will need to look thru these and see if which if any have an impact on your project.

For this example I have chosen the group Water Features with the Depth to ground water subgroup. As you can see this area is blue, meaning that the depth to ground water is >200cm (>6.5ft). This is beneficial if I was looking to build an addition with a shallow foundation, because groundwater would not be an issue.

There are many uses for this website and its information. You will need to determine which if any of the groups listed will help with your project. Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.