Soil Surveys were created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Conservation Service for Atlantic and Cape May Counties. These surveys provide information on various types of soils within the two counties. Soil surveys can be used to predict limitations or suitability of soil for present and potential use. This includes the management of farms and woodlands, the selecting a site for roads, buildings, water bodies, and other structures.
Soil surveys consist of maps generated on aerial photographs. Each soil type is easily identified and marked with soil
symbols. The soil survey lists all the soils of each county in alphabetical order by symbol and gives the capability classification of each type of soil. The soil survey also describes the methods by which scientists created the soil survey.
In 2003, the Cape May County Soil Survey was republished. The major fieldwork for this survey was completed in 1995. Soils names and descriptions were approved in 1997. Significant changes were made to names of soils in the county. The Cape May County Soil Survey is also available in a CD format. The CD is user friendly, but requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program is available directly on the soil survey CD.
The District has a limited supply of the Cape May County Soil Survey paper booklet, therefore we are requesting that each consulting office share one copy. However, multiple copies of the CD are available upon request.
The soil surveys provided by the Cape-Atlantic Conservation District are great tools for anyone interested in the soils of Atlantic and Cape May Counties. Soil surveys are free of charge when picked up in the District Office, or they can be mailed for a $8.00 charge for 1 copy or a $15.00 charge for 2 copies. If you would like a soil survey mailed to your home or office, please tell us which county you are interested in, enclose your name or company name, phone number address, and a check made payable to the Cape-Atlantic SCD.
The District is now offering maps produced on Geographic Information Systems (GIS). With this technology, District staff is able to produce maps with multi-layered information such as wetlands, soils, aerial photograph and topography for a particular site or project. These maps can be used for submittal to the Pinelands Commission, NJDEP, municipal tax officials, or other state and local government agencies. For more information, please contact the District Office.
To utilize the technical resources available in the District Office, the District asks that you call ahead to make an appointment. This is to ensure that a staff member will be available for your particular questions and needs.
To contact a member of the staff, please go to Board of Supervisors and Staff.
