NRCS Releases Phelps County Soil Survey Report

COLUMBIA, MO, May 25, 2004 – The Soil Survey of Phelps County, which provides valuable information about suitable uses of land at specific locations, is available to the public.

Dennis Potter, state soil scientist with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), explained that soil scientists completed examinations of the soils of Phelps County in 1995. To get an accurate picture of what soils are where, they walked over most of Phelps County’s 431,347 acres. Along the way, they examined the soil and collected samples that were sent to laboratories for further analysis. They identified 55 different soils in the county.

The finished soil survey includes maps showing the location of soils, data about the physical and chemical properties of those soils, and information about potential uses and problems associated with various sites. An accurate inventory of soils and their properties is essential for determining the best use of land. The soil properties determine what crops or trees will grow well, if an area is prone to flooding, if a pond will leak, if a site is suitable for construction, and information about many other land uses.

“I advise anyone doing anything involving the soil to first find that specific site in the soil survey and check to see if the soil there will support what they are planning to do,” Potter says.

The Phelps County soil survey project was led by NRCS in cooperation with the Phelps County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the USDA Forest Service, the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Printed copies of the soil survey and CDs containing the same information are available from the NRCS/SWCD office in the USDA Service Center, 1050 Highway 72 East in Rolla. The phone number is (573) 364-6202, extension 3.

Online Soil Survey Reports