Soil survey maps can help you whether you are a farmer, developer, builder, construction engineer or homeowner.

There are 89 different soils in Butler County and their different physical and chemical properties seriously affect crops because of slope, depth, erodibility, or high water tables. Many of these soils should have vegetative cover.

A soil survey can help a farmer use each acre to its highest potential by helping locate areas unsuitable or marginally suitable for cultivation.

Some home buyers do not realize that their homes have drainage or flooding problems until it is too late. Had they checked a soil map for the location of the house or lot they were buying, they would have known its potential as a flood plain or heavy clay area.

Clay soils shrink and swell with changes in soil moisture. If the house foundation is not properly designed walls, plaster or foundation can crack as the soil expands and contracts.

If you have a septic tank, soils are especially important to you. Seasonal high water tables and clay soils that absorb water slowly can cause sewage effluent to rise to the surface if the filter field is not designed properly.

Builders and developers can use soil surveys to learn about the desirable soil properties for housing and commercial development. They can know before construction begins what special designs and building techniques may be needed to prevent damage to such an important investment.

The Butler County Soil Survey Map books were made by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The survey is part of the technical assistance furnished to the Butler County Conservation District.

Copies of the Butler County Soil Survey Map books are available at the conservation district office located in Building 8 at Sunnyview in Butler.

It is time to order tree seedlings for spring planting. Call the conservation district office at 724-284-5270 for an order form, or look for them in the pages of the Butler Eagle.