The following is a map unit description from the "Soil Survey of Norfolk and Suffolk Counties, Massachusetts (Peragallo, 1989)"

Ud-Udorthents, loamy. This map unit consists of nearly level and gently sloping areas where the original soils have been cut away or covered with a loamy fill material. Most areas have been graded to a smooth surface. Areas are dominantly on uplands but are in almost every landscape position. Areas range in size from 6 to 200 acres. Slopes are smooth or irregular, and range from 0 to 25 percent but are dominantly 0 to 5 percent.

Where the original soil has been cut away, Udorthents, loamy, typically consist of the exposed substrata of Boxford, Charlton, Newport, Paxton, Pittstown, or Woodridge soils. In areas that have been filled they consist of several soils or of one soil removed from an adjacent cut. Areas have a loamy texture, dominantly fine sandy loam. The soils in these areas are slightly darker in the uppermost 6 to 10 inches than in the underlying material, and they resemble topsoil. In many areas the fill is compact and firm when dry. Most of these areas have grass vegetation. Some areas on slopes of 15 to 25 percent do not have a vegetative cover because of erosion.

Included with this map unit are areas of Udorthents, sandy, near abandoned gravel pits and Udorthents, wet substratum, on wetlands. Also included are small areas of Urban land. These included areas make up about 20 percent of the map unit.

  • Soil properties:
  • Permeability: Moderate to slow to a depth of 10 inches and rapid to very slow below that depth.

    Available water capacity: Low or moderate.

    In most areas Udorthents, loamy, are used for parks, recreation fields, and buildings. The properties of these soils vary greatly with depth; however, they are generally well suited to use as building sites. Restrictive layers and buried objects generally obstruct deep excavations. These soils are fairly suited to lawns, landscaping, and vegetable gardens. In urban areas vegetable gardens generally can be planted if soil tests are made to identify possibly contaminated soil, as with heavy metals. These soils differ greatly from place to place: consequently, onsite investigation is needed to assess the suitability of the soils for specific land uses.

    These soils have not been assigned to a capability subclass.

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