SOIL SURVEY OF MilWAUKEE AND WAUKESHA COUNTIES WISCONSIN u. S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service In cooperation with University of Wisconsin Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey ð Soi Is Department and ~ Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station Issued July 1971 Major fieldwork for this soil survey was done in the period 1963-65. Soil names and descriptions were approved in 1966. Unless otherwise indicated, statements in the publication refer to conditions in the survey area in 1965. This survey was made cooperatively by tþe Soil Conservation Service and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, Soils Department, and the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Wisconsin, as part of the assistance furnished to the Waukesha and Milwaukee Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Preparation of this publication was ,partly financed by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission; and by a joint planning grant from the State Highway Commission of Wisconsin; the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Public Roads; and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, under provisions of the Federal Aid Highway Legislation and Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amended. Either enlarged or reduced copies of the soil map in this publication can be made by commercial photographers, or can,be purchased on individual order from the Cartographic Division, Soil Conserva- tion Service, USDA Washington D.C. 20250 HOW TO USE THIS SOIL SURVEY THIS SOIL SURVEY of Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties same limitation or suitability. For example, soils contains information that can be applied in managing that have a slight limitation for a given'use can farms and woodlands; in selecting sites for roads, be colored green, those with a moderate limitation ponds, buildings, or other structures; and in'judg- can be colored yellow, and those with a severe limi- ing the suitability of tracts of land for farming, tat ion can be colored red. industry, wildlife, or recreation. Farmers and those who work with farmers can learn about use and management of the soils by reading descriptions of the soils and the discussions of Locating Soils the capability units. Foresters and others can refer to the subsection All the soils of this survey area are shown on "Woodland and Community Planting," where the soils the detailed map at the back of this publicatíon. of the area are grouped according to their suitabil- This map consists of many sheets that are made from ity for forest trees and for trees in various kinds aerial photographs. Each sheet is numbered to cor- of plantings. respond with numbers shown on the Index to Map Game managers, sportsmen, and others concerned Sheets. with wildlife will find information about soils On each sheet of the detailed map, soil areas are and wildlife in the subsection "Wildlife Uses of outlined and are identified by symbol. All areas Soils." marked with the same symbol are the same kind of Developers of campgrounds and other recreational soil. The soil symbol is ins ide the area if there facili ties can refer to the subsection "Recreation- is enough room; otherwise, it is outs ide and a al Uses of Soils" to find limi tat ions of soils for pointer shows where the symbol belongs. various types of recreational use. Engineers and builders will find, under "Engi- neering Uses of Soils," tables that give test data Finding and Using Information and estÍJpated properties of soils that affect engi- neering practices and structures. ' The "Guide to Mapping Units" can be used to find Community planners and others concerned with information in the survey. This guide lists all of suburban' development can read about the properties the soils of the two counties in alphabetic order by that affect the choice of homesites, industrial map symbol. It shows the page where each kind of- sites, schools, and parks in the subsections "Engi- soil is described and also the capability unit and neering Interpretations" and "Recreational Uses of the woodland, wildlife, recreation, and shrub and Soils." vine groups in \'ihichthe soil has been placed. Soil scientists and others can read about how the Individual colored maps showing the relative suit- soils were formed and how they are classified in the -ability or limitations of soils for many specific section "Formation and Classification of Soils." purposes can be developed by using the soil map and Newcomers in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties may information in the text and tables. Interpretations be especially interested in the section "General not included in the text or in tables can be devel- Soil Map," where broad patterns of soils are de- oped by grouping the soils according to their suit- scribed. They may also be interested in the ,section ability or limitations for the desired purpose. "Additional Facts About Milwaukee and Waukesha Translucent material can be used as an overlay over Counties," which gives additional information about the soil map and colored to show soils that have the the survey area. ' Cover picture: A soil scientist sketching soil boundaries ,in a rural-fringe area of Waukesha County. ' CONTENTS Page Page HOW THIS SURVEY WAS MADE 2 DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SOILS--Cont. Mussey series 50 GENERAL SOIL MAP 3 Navan series---~ 51 1. Houghton-Palms-Adrian association 3 Ogden series 52 2. Fox-Casco association 3 Oshtemo series 52 3. Warsaw-Lorenzo association 4 Ozaukee series 53 4. Boyer-Oshtemo association 4 Palms series 54 5. Rodman-Cas co as sociation-- -- -- - -- - - -- -- - 4" Pe lla series --- - - - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 55 6. Ozaukee-Morley-Mequon association 5 Pella series, moderately shallow variant--- 56 7. Montgomery-Martinton-Hebron-Saylesville Pistakee series 56 association 5 Ritchey series ~ 57 8. Kewaunee-Manawa association 6 Ritchey series, mottled subsoil variant 58 9. Hochheim-Theresa association 6 Rodman series 59 10. Pella, moderately shal~ow variant- Rollin series 59 Knowles association 6 Rough broken land 60 DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SOILS 7 St . Charles series 60 . Sandy and gravelly land 62 Adrlan serles 7 . Sandy lake beaches 62 Alluvlal land 12 . Sawmlll serles, calcareous varlant. 62 Ashkurnserles 12 " . Saylesvllie'. serles 63 Aztalan serles 13 . Sebewa serles 64 Blount serles 14 . Theresa serles 65 Boyer serles 15 . Vlrgl~" serle~ 66 Brookston series ~ 16 . Wallklll serles 67 Casco serles 16 . serles 68 Chelsea serles 19 Warsaw Clayey land 19 Wasepl" serles. 69 . Wet alluvlal land 69 Colwood serles 20 Dodge series 20 USE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SOILS 71 Drummer series 21 Management for crops and pasture 71 Elliott series 22 Basic practices of management 71 Fabius series 23 Capability groups of soils 72 Fox series 23 Management by capability units 73 Gilford series 26 Yield predictions 80 Granby series 26 Woodland and community planting 85 Grays series 27 Woodland suitability groups 86 Griswold series 28 Selection of trees for ornamental Griswold series, mottled subsoil variant 29 planting 91 Hebron series 29 Shrub and vine planting guide 91 Hochheim series 30 Wildlife uses of soils ~ 100 Houghton series ~ 32 Wildlife groups 100 Juneau series 33 Recreational uses of soils 102 Kane series 34 Engineering uses of soils 106 Kendall series 34 Engineering classification systems 107 Kewaunee series 35 Engineering test data 107 Knowles series 36 Estimated engineering properties 164 Lamartine series 37 Engineering interpretations 164 Lawson series 38 Loamy land 39 FORMATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS 166 Lorenzo series 39 Formation of soils 166 Manawa series 40 Classification of soils 168 Markham series 40 Marsh- - - -- -- - - - --- -- - - - --- -- -- - -- --- -- - - 41 ADDITIONAL F ACTS ABOUT MILWAUKEE AND WAUKESHA ~~rtinton series 41 COUNTIES 171 Matherton series 42 History of Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties- 171 Mayville series 43 Climate of Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties- 171 Mequonseries 44 Miamiseries ~ 45 LITERATURECITED 174 Montgomery series 46 Morleyseries 47 GLOSSARY 175 Mundelein series 49 Muskego series 49 GUIDE TO ~~PPING UNITS Following 177 SOIL SURVEY OF MILWAUKEE AND WAUKESHA COUNTIES, WISCONSIN BY J. A. STEINGRAEBER AND CHARLES A. REYNOLDS, SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE FIELDWORK BY DALE JAKEL, AUGUSTINE OTTER, STEVE PAYNE, CHARLES A. REYNOLDS, J. A. STEINGRAEBER, ROGER WEBER, AND OTHERS, SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN COOPERATION WITH THE WISCONSIN GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY, SOILS DEPARTMENT, AND THE WISCONSIN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE AND WAUKESHA COUNTIES are in the south- soils in that area had been disturbed too extensive- eastern part of Wisconsin (fig. 1). Milwaukee ly for a detailed survey to be practical. Waukesha County has a total land area of 355,840 acres, all of which is in the survey area. The city of Mil- waukee is the county seat of Milwaukee County, and the city of Waukesha is the county seat of Waukesha County. Commerce and industry are important occupations in (he east-central part of Milwaukee County. They are increasingly important in other parts of that county and in the eastern part of Waukesha County. Farming is still the leading occupation in the west- ern two-thirds of Waukesha County, and dairying is the main farm enterprise in that area. Corn, small grains, and forage crops are grown extensively on the farms, and they provide feed for the dairy cat- tle, as well as some cash income. The largest tracts of woodland are also in the western two-thirds of Waukesha County, but smaller tracts are scattered throughout the rest of the survey area. These tracts supply wood products needed on the farms, and they provide some cash income from the sale of wood products. The wooded tracts and the many lakes are becoming increasingly important as recreational areas. They are also highly desirable as homesites for the expanding populations of southeastern Wis- consin and northeastern Illinois. Although the importance of farming as an occupa- tion has diminished in Milwaukee County and in the eastern part of Waukesha County, farm products are still highly important to the economy of the city of Milwaukee and surrounding areas.