California Soil Types and RUSLE K Factor Directory
Look up California soil types and compare soil series by RUSLE K factor, texture, drainage class, and county so construction stormwater teams can choose better inputs for erosion risk calculations.
K factor values come from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) SSURGO data where available. Use this directory as a starting point, then confirm final project inputs against your site soil report, SWPPP, and permit documents.
How to use soil K factor in RUSLE calculations
The K factor, also called the soil erodibility factor, is a core input in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). It estimates how susceptible a soil is to detachment and transport from rainfall and runoff. Published values generally range from near 0 for resistant soils up to about 0.65 for highly erodible soils.
California's Construction General Permit uses K factor in Risk Level Calculations for construction stormwater compliance. Because soils can change across short distances, checking the mapped soil series helps teams document site specific erosion risk and select appropriate BMPs.
If you are searching for California soil types, a soil type map, or the correct soil erodibility value for a SWPPP, start with the mapped soil series and county, then use the K factor as one input in the full RUSLE calculation. Rapid RUSLE combines soil erodibility with rainfall erosivity, slope, cover, and support practice assumptions so QSDs and stormwater teams can move from lookup to a defensible risk calculation.
Common California soil lookups for SWPPP teams
Recent searches often start broadly with California soil types, soil type maps, or county soil names. The useful next step is to connect those searches to RUSLE inputs: the soil series, its K factor, and whether the value fits the project's site documentation.
Soil Series List
Showing 64 of 64 soil series
Aiken
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Altamont
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Amador
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Anaverde
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Arbuckle
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Bale
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Barnabe
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Bayshore
Texture: silty clay
Drainage: very poorly drained
Bonnydoon
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: somewhat excessively drained
Capay
Texture: silty clay
Drainage: moderately well drained
Cieneba
Texture: coarse sandy loam
Drainage: somewhat excessively drained
Clear Lake
Texture: clay
Drainage: poorly drained
Coachella
Texture: fine sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Corning
Texture: gravelly loam
Drainage: well drained
Cropley
Texture: clay
Drainage: moderately well drained
Delhi
Texture: loamy sand
Drainage: somewhat excessively drained
Diablo
Texture: clay
Drainage: well drained
Elder
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Exeter
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Garretson
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Gillender
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Gilman
Texture: fine sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Hanford
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Hesperia
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Huerhuero
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Indio
Texture: very fine sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Josephine
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Kimball
Texture: loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Lassen
Texture: sandy clay loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Leighcan
Texture: gravelly sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Linne
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Los Osos
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Madera
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Mazourka
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Meadowbrook
Texture: fine sandy loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Millsholm
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Myford
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Niland
Texture: loamy sand
Drainage: somewhat excessively drained
Oxalis
Texture: silty clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Panoche
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Pit
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: poorly drained
Pleasanton
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Porterville
Texture: clay
Drainage: moderately well drained
Ramona
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Rincon
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Sacramento
Texture: clay
Drainage: poorly drained
San Joaquin
Texture: loam
Drainage: moderately well drained
Sheetiron
Texture: loam
Drainage: somewhat excessively drained
Sierraville
Texture: loam
Drainage: somewhat poorly drained
Supan
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Tocaloma
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Trigo
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Trojan
Texture: gravelly loam
Drainage: well drained
Tujunga
Texture: loamy coarse sand
Drainage: excessively drained
Visalia
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Wheatland
Texture: loam
Drainage: well drained
Windy
Texture: silty clay loam
Drainage: poorly drained
Winfield
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Winnedumah
Texture: loamy sand
Drainage: somewhat excessively drained
Wyman
Texture: fine sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Yokohl
Texture: clay loam
Drainage: well drained
Yolo
Texture: silt loam
Drainage: well drained
Yucaipa
Texture: sandy loam
Drainage: well drained
Zamora
Texture: silty clay loam
Drainage: well drained
California soil directory FAQ
What is a soil K factor in RUSLE?
The K factor is the soil erodibility factor used by RUSLE and RUSLE2. It estimates how susceptible a soil is to particle detachment and transport from rainfall and runoff.
Where does Rapid RUSLE soil data come from?
Rapid RUSLE uses published USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service SSURGO soil data, including soil series, texture, drainage, county mapping, and K factor values where available.
Why does California soil data matter for stormwater compliance?
California construction stormwater risk calculations use site specific inputs. Soil type and K factor can materially change estimated erosion risk, BMP planning, and documentation for Construction General Permit compliance.