department of Planning, industry & environment

Hydrologic Groups of Soils in NSW

 

What is this dataset?

Hydrologic soil maps describe the infiltration rates for different soil groups across NSW.  The dataset estimates in which of the 4 classes (A-D) of Hydrologic Groups a soil belongs. Class A are soils with high infiltration rates, even when thoroughly wetted and consisting chiefly of deep, well to excessively-drained sands or gravels. These soils have a high rate of water transmission. Class B are soils with moderate infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted and consisting chiefly of moderately deep to deep, moderately fine to moderately coarse textures. These soils have a moderate rate of water transmission. Class C are soils with slow infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted and consisting chiefly of soils with a layer that impedes downward movement of water, or soils with moderately fine to fine texture. These soils have a slow rate of water transmission. Class D are soils with very slow infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted and consisting chiefly of clay soils with a high swelling potential, soils with a permanent high watertable, soils with a claypan or clay layer at or near the surface, and shallow soils over nearly impervious material. These soils have a very slow rate of water transmission.

How can the dataset be used?

The dataset can be used to evaluate land for planning, development and stormwater management. The hydrologic class of soil determines the rate of water infiltration (i.e. access to water) and runoff. Urban soil can be inhospitable to tree establishment, growth and survival, which in part depends on water uptake/access.

What area does the dataset cover?

The dataset covers the entirety of the State of NSW.

How was the dataset created and what time period does it cover?

The dataset uses the best available soil mapping and was derived from a lookup table that linked a Hydrologic Group class to a particular soil type using the Great Soil Group (GSG) classification. Each dominant GSG was assigned to a Hydrologic Soil Group. The dataset was published in 2018 and updated in 2019 and created between 12/07/2011 to 24/10/2013.

What are the key attributes of the dataset?

Data Category	Field name(s)	Description of attribute value
Hydrologic Soils group	Hydro_Gp	Classes of Hydrologic Groups of soils: A — soils having high infiltration rates B — soils having moderate infiltration rates C — soils having slow infiltration rates D — soils having very slow infiltration rates Water – waterway

 

Access to the dataset

This dataset and the relevant metadata are publicly available on the NSW SEED data portal.

Contact

For questions about the dataset, contact the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

data.broker@environment.nsw.gov.au or 131555

.