The Blackwater River watershed lies in the Coastal Plain of Virginia, which is between the foothills of the Piedmont and the Atlantic Ocean. In prehistory, oceanic water covered much of the Coastal Plain, resulting in a soil composition of sand and mineral not compacted into bedrock. The soil is generally very acidic and requires extensive liming and fertilization for industrial agriculture. The loose sandy soil texture and mostly flat terrain are ideal for peanut cultivation (Galbraith & Baker, n.d.).
A sample area of the alluvial flood plain of the Blackwater River, totalling about 1500 acres returned an array of USDA soil types. The below table shows percentages of the acres attributed to each soil type. The soil is generally sandy or clay, reflective of its marine past. The two primary types recorded were the Bibb sandy loam and Nawney loam:
- Bibb, sandy loam: deep, poorly drained and moderately permeable, common in floodplains of the Southern Coastal Plain, dominant vegetation consists of hydrophytic tree species (Nyssa sylcatica, Nyssa aquatica, Taxodium distichum, Salix nigra, etc)
- Nawney loam: very deep, poorly drained, and moderately permeable, also common in Southern Coastal Plain floodplain formations, dominant vegetation consists of hydrophytic tree species (Nyssa sylcatica, Nyssa aquatica, Taxodium distichum, etc) (NCSS, n.d.)
Isle of Wight County, Virginia (VA093) | |||
Map Unit Symbol | Map Unit Name | Acres in AOI | Percent of AOI |
1 | Alaga fine sand | 124.3 | 8.3% |
4 | Chipley sand | 173.2 | 11.5% |
6 | Kenansville loamy sand | 13.1 | 0.9% |
7 | Kinston loam | 130.3 | 8.7% |
9 | Myatt fine sandy loam | 18.9 | 1.3% |
10 | Nawney loam | 211.2 | 14.1% |
12A | Peawick silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 9.4 | 0.6% |
12B | Peawick silt loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes | 8.8 | 0.6% |
18A | Slagle fine sandy loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 42.2 | 2.8% |
19A | Uchee loamy sand, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 41.0 | 2.7% |
19B | Uchee loamy sand, 2 to 6 percent slopes | 44.4 | 3.0% |
20B | Uchee-Peawick complex, 2 to 6 percent slopes | 12.6 | 0.8% |
20C | Uchee-Peawick complex, 6 to 10 percent slopes | 0.0 | 0.0% |
21 | Udorthents, loamy | 6.6 | 0.4% |
23 | Yemassee fine sandy loam | 40.2 | 2.7% |
W | Water | 24.2 | 1.6% |
Subtotals for Soil Survey Area | 900.4 | 60.0% | |
Collapse Southampton County, Virginia (VA175) Southampton County, Virginia (VA175) | |||
Map Unit Symbol | Map Unit Name | Acres in AOI | Percent of AOI |
1B | Alaga loamy sand, 0 to 6 percent slopes | 52.3 | 3.5% |
4A | Bibb sandy loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes, frequently flooded | 266.7 | 17.8% |
10A | Craven fine sandy loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 52.3 | 3.5% |
10C | Craven fine sandy loam, 6 to 10 percent slopes | 6.1 | 0.4% |
13B | Emporia fine sandy loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes | 28.2 | 1.9% |
13C | Emporia fine sandy loam, 6 to 10 percent slopes | 15.5 | 1.0% |
16A | Myatt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 14.0 | 0.9% |
17A | Nansemond loamy fine sand, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 15.3 | 1.0% |
20B | Ocilla loamy sand, 0 to 6 percent slopes | 9.8 | 0.7% |
20C | Ocilla loamy sand, 6 to 10 percent slopes | 4.6 | 0.3% |
23A | Roanoke loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes, occasionally flooded | 4.3 | 0.3% |
24B | Rumford, Kenansville, and Uchee soils, 0 to 6 percent slopes | 65.6 | 4.4% |
26A | Slagle fine sandy loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 26.6 | 1.8% |
26B | Slagle fine sandy loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes | 4.8 | 0.3% |
30B | Uchee loamy sand, 0 to 6 percent slopes | 4.6 | 0.3% |
30C | Uchee loamy sand, 6 to 10 percent slopes | 3.7 | 0.2% |
34A | Yemassee fine sandy loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 6.4 | 0.4% |
W | Water | 18.7 | 1.2% |
Subtotals for Soil Survey Area | 599.5 | 40.0% | |
Totals for Area of Interest | 1,500.1 | 100.0 | |
National Flood Hazard Layer map generated through FEMA.
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