Soil Survey of Dallas County, Texas Page: 10
vii, 153 p., 70 fold. p. of plates : ill., maps ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
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SOIL SURVEY
cultivated farm crops has been used for urban develop-
ment. The rest of the good cropland is also in danger of
being converted to residential developments because it
is nearly level to gently sloping and has few limitations to
this development.
In recent years, less cropland has been used for row
crops and more has been converted to grazing land. In
the soil survey of 1924 (4), about 90 percent of the
county was cultivated. Today, only about 25 percent is
used for crops. Near the housing developments, many
acres that were once cultivated are now idle and await-
ing development. Most of this land has high or medium
potential for use as cropland.
The one map unit in Dallas County that has very low
potential for urban uses is the Trinity-Frio map unit. Be-
cause of the hazard of flooding, urban development on
this land would be expensive. The soils in the Houston
Black-Heiden, Eddy-Stephen-Austin, Austin-Houston
Black, Wilson-Rader-Axtell, and Ferris-Heiden map units
can be developed for urban use at a lower cost than can
those in the Trinity-Frio map unit. The main limitations of
these soils to urban uses are the high or very high
shrink-swell potential, low soil strength, and high corrosi-
vity to uncoated steel.
In addition to these limitations, the Eddy, Austin, and
Stephen soils are limited by shallowness to bedrock.
These soils have limestone bedrock at a depth of 5 to
40 inches; however, the rock is rippable and makes a
good foundation for most structures. Except for the Eddy
soils, all of these soils have high or medium potential for
use as cropland or pasture.
The soils in the Silawa-Silstid-Bastsil map unit are well
suited to urban uses. Some areas of this unit and of the
Wilson-Rader-Axtell unit are wooded and are highly
valued for residential development. Most areas of the
Eddy-Stephen-Austin map unit are covered with trees
and shrubs; in some areas of this unit, the land is steep
and broken, providing striking scenery. The soils in the
Eddy-Stephen-Austin map unit also are highly valued for
residential development; however, because they are
shallow and have unstable slopes, these soils have only
medium potential for this use.
Most of the soils in Dallas County have low potential
for recreation uses. The only soils that have high poten-
tial for recreation uses are those in the Silawa-Silstid-
Bastsil map unit. The other soils in the county are too
clayey, have slow permeability, are subject to flooding, or
are shallow to bedrock.
Most of the soils in the county have low potential for
sanitary facilities. The main limitations, especially to
septic tank absorption fields, are the slow absorption of
effluent and the shallowness of the soils to bedrock.
Soil maps for detailed planning
The map units on the detailed soil maps at the back of
this survey represent the soils in the survey area. Themap unit descriptions in this section, along with the soil
maps, can be used to determine the suitability and po-
tential of a soil for specific uses. They also can be used
to plan the management needed for those uses. More
information on each map unit, or soil, is given under
"Use and management of the soils."
Each map unit on the detailed soil maps represents an
area on the landscape and consists of one or more soils
for which the unit is named.
A symbol identifying the soil precedes the map unit
name in the soil descriptions. Each description includes
general facts about the soil, a brief description of the soil
profile, and a listing of the principal hazards and limita-
tions to be considered in planning management.
Soils that have profiles that are almost alike make up
asoil series. Except for differences in texture of the
surface layer or of the underlying material, all the soils of
a series have major horizons that are similar in composi-
tion, thickness, and arrangement.
Soils of one series can differ in texture of the surface
layer or of the underlying material. They also can differ in
slope, stoniness, salinity, wetness, degree of erosion,
and other characteristics that affect their use. On the
basis of such differences, a soil series is divided into soil
phases. Most of the areas shown on the detailed soil
maps are phases of soil series. The name of a soil
phase commonly indicates a feature that affects use or
management. For example, Austin silty clay, 1 to 3 per-
cent slopes, is one of several phases in the Austin
series.
Some map units are made up of two or more major
soils. These map units are called soil complexes.
A soil complex consists of two or more soils in such
an intricate pattern or in such small areas that they
cannot be shown separately on the soil maps. The pat-
tern and proportion of the soils are somewhat similar in
all areas. Eddy-Brackett complex, 8 to 20 percent
slopes, is an example.
Most map units include small scattered areas of soils
other than those for which the map unit is named. Some
of these included soils have properties that differ sub-
stantially from those of the major soil or soils. Such
differences could significantly affect use and manage-
ment of the soils in the map unit. The included soils are
identified in each map unit description. Some small areas
of strongly contrasting soils are identified by a special
symbol on the soil maps.
Table 5 gives the acreage and proportionate extent of
each map unit. Other tables (see "Summary of tables")
give properties of the soils and the limitations, capabili-
ties, and potentials for many uses. The Glossary defines
many of the terms used in describing the soils.
Soil descriptions
1-Altoga silty clay, 5 to 12 percent slopes,
eroded. This is a deep, well drained, sloping to strongly10
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Map displays soil types along with creeks, towns, schools, churches, power transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, roads, and railroads. Includes legend and symbols. Scale 1:253,400
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Coffee, Daniel R. Soil Survey of Dallas County, Texas, book, 1980; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth130211/m1/20/: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.