Lake Erie North Shore Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...

LAKE ERIE NORTH SHORE WATERSHED PLAN
dolostone and limestone bedrock, making these soils problematic during summer
droughts and having little agricultural value.
The rapidly drained Plainfield soils can be found along Point Abino westward to Silver
Bay. Plainfield soils are mainly aeolian sands with a very rapid permeability and low
capacity to hold water. The Plainfield Soils in this extent are associated with the dune
system that lines the shoreline of Lake Erie.
Organic soils groups such as Quarry soils, Lorraine soils, Holly soils, Sherkston soils
and Portsmouth soils can also be found throughout the Lake Erie North Shore
watershed. These organic soils are very poorly drained. They are rapidly permeable, but
are usually saturated with groundwater. They also have a high capacity to hold water
and a very slow surface runoff. Typically, before these organic soils can be used for
agriculture, extensive clearing and drainage is necessary as well as continued
maintenance to control the subsurface water level and prevent the loss of the organic
surface horizon through wind erosion. When drained these soils are suitable for common
field crops and vegetable crops such as broccoli, potatoes, celery and onions.
The nature of the organic material in Quarry soils is dominantly woody forest peat with
occasional sedge fen peat layers and a texture variation from silty clay loam to silty clay.
These soils are associated with swamps and forested wetlands and have been mapped
east of Port Colborne along Lake Erie.
In Lorraine soils, the nature of the organic materials range from woody fen peat to sedge
fen peat. The textures vary from silty clay loam, to silty clay and clay. These soils are
associated with fens and forested wetlands and can be found in association with
Portsmouth organic soils.
The nature of the organic material in Portsmouth soils range from woody forest peat to
woody sedge fen peat with occasional sedge fen peat horizons. These soils are typically
associated with forested wetlands and swamps and a texture varying from silty clay and
clay to heavy clay.
Sedge fen peat is primarily the nature of the organic material in Sherkston soils. The
texture of this soil group is usually silty clay and is typically associated with wetlands and
fens. The extent of this soil group in the Lake Erie North Shore watershed is limited to
the area between Port Colborne and Fort Erie near Lake Erie.
In Holly soils, the nature of the organic materials range from woody forest peat to sedge
fen peat, and a texture that typically varies from silt loam to silt clay loam. These soils
are generally associated with forested wetlands. In the Lake Erie North Shore watershed
the extent of Holly soils is limited to south of the Onondaga Escarpment.
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