Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

HATZIC SOILS (HZ)
Location and Extent : Hatzic soils are found only in the Hatzic Valley north of Hatzic Lake where 170 ha o f
pure map units and 20 ha of Hatzic-Sim soil complex are classified .
Topography and Elevation : Hatzic soils are level to very gently sloping or undulating with slopes less tha n
2 percent . They are usually slightly depressional in relation to adjacent soils and lie between 4 and 6 m abov e
sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : The parent material of Hatzic soils are fine-textured, vertically accreted ,
stone-free Fraser River floodplain deposits . Surface textures are silty clay loam or silty clay ; subsurfaces an d
subsoils are silty clay or clay.
Soil Moisture Characteristics : Hatzic soils are poorly drained . They are slowly pervious and have hig h
water holding capacity and slow surface runoff . The watertable is near, and sometimes at, the soil surface fo r
most of the winter and during the freshet period of the Fraser River . Surface ponding commonly occurs durin g
heavy rains .
General Soil Description : Hatzic soils have a very dark gray to gray, clayey, cultivated surface layer abou t
15 cm thick that is subangular blocky in structure and sticky and plastic when wet . It is underlain by about 10 cm
of grayish-brown, partially leached, silty to clayey material that is blocky in structure, plastic when wet ; har d
when dry and contains common, strong brown mottles . This, in turn, is underlain by a clayey zone about 30 c m
thick which is grayish-brown to dark gray, has well defined prismatic structure, is very plastic when wet an d
contains common, strong brown to yellowish-red mottles . Clay flows and skins are common on the pe d
surfaces . This zone grades to gray, massive, plastic, unweathered parent material containing some yellowish o r
reddish mottles . Soil reaction is mainly very strongly acid in the upper soil and grades to medium or strongl y
acid in the subsoil . Soil classification is Orthic Luvic Gleysol .
Commonly Associated Soils : Sim soils sometimes occur in soil complexes with Hatzic soils . They diffe r
from Hatzic soils by having black surfaces and silty rather than clayey textures .
Vegetation : Essentially all areas of Hatzic soils have been cleared and are cultivated . The few, small ,
remaining, uncleared areas support willow, black cottonwood and some western red cedar as well as hardhack ,
sedges, reeds and grass . Rooting is mainly limited to the upper 40 to 50 cm by the dense, clayey subsoil an d
high watertables .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Hatzic soils, at present, are mainly used for forage production o r
pasture. They are severely limited by excess moisture but can be improved by artificial drainage which widen s
the range of suited crops . The slow permeability, however, requires that tile lines be closely spaced . The heav y
textures necessitate high power requirements for cultivation and also provide conditions that easily lead t o
puddling and compaction . (2) Housing or similar construction is generally unsuitable on Hatzic soils . Soi l
bearing strengths are relatively low and shrink-swell potentials are high . Basements and other excavations wil l
usually contain water and septic tank effluent disposal is severely impaired by the low soil permeability and hig h
watertables .
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