Publications

Ksat Values for New Hampshire Soils (September 2009)

The publication "Ksat Values for New Hampshire Soils" is designed to assist soil scientists,
engineers, and other professionals by assembling tables of existing data for all soil series
currently on the state soil legend with regard to Ksat values and hydrologic groupings (Hyd.Grp.).
The need for this information has become more important since the adoption by the New
Hampshire Department of Environmental Services of the revised Alteration of Terrain rules for
stormwater management. Additional information has been provided for each soil series with
regard to landform, temperature regime (Temp.), soil textures, NHDES Soil Lot Size Groupings
(Group), whether the soil is a Spodosol (Spodosol?) and other information which will be
valuable to a variety of soil information users.


High Intensity Soil Maps for New Hampshire (2008 update)

These standards for making high intensity soil maps have been developed for use in New Hampshire. Some demonstrated uses of these standards in New Hampshire include: lot size by soil type ordinances, use in local subdivision regulations that incorporate septic tank leach field (4K receiving area) set-back distances from sensitive soil conditions and in wetland delineation activities (hydric soils). Soil drainage classes used in these standards have been updated to more closely align with the concepts used by New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. It should be noted that the accuracy of soil line placement serving as delineation for any jurisdictional wetlands or hydric soil boundary may be more restrictive than outlined in these standards.


Site-Specific Soil Mapping Standards for New Hampshire and Vermont (2006)

The Site-Specific Soil Mapping Standards for New Hampshire and Vermont (SSSMS) described in this document represent an update to Version 1 published in 1999. The Standards represent an enhancement of the Order 1 Mapping Standards for New Hampshire published in Society of Soil Scientists of Northern New England (SSSNNE) Special Publication No. 2 while incorporating some of the more specific criteria previously included in the High Intensity Soil (HIS) Mapping Standards for New Hampshire (SSSNNE Special Publication No. 1). Some of the more noticeable improvements include: standards for defining and using symbols for special features; drainage class interpretive limits defined in accordance with the Field Indicators for Identifying Hydric Soils in New England; and specialized format that will facilitate region-wide adoption of these standards by the New England States.


Soil Based Lot Sizing: Environmental Planning for On-Site Wastewater Treatment in New Hampshire (2003)

This report and the Model Lot Size by Soil Type Regulation presented within it represents the cumulative efforts and experience of a great number of professional land use planners, soil scientists, septic system designers, hydrogeologists and wetland scientists over a period of greater than twenty years. The concept of soil based lot sizing to protect groundwater quality grew out of the efforts to improve wastewater treatment to implement the requirements of the Clean Water Act back in the 1970's. It was clear that the urban solution of constructing wastewater treatment plants would not work in rural areas of New Hampshire, where the population is largely served by on-site septic systems and private individual wells. To address this scenario, planners and soil scientists in Rockingham County developed a model subdivision regulation that prescribed lot sizes by soil type. The intent was to assure that the area of house lots was adequate to accommodate a potable drinking water supply and wastewater treatment through septic systems located on-site.

All documents are in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)