Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

NEAVES SOILS (NV)
Location and Extent : Neaves soils occur only in northern Pitt Meadows Municipality and in the Pitt Polde r
area . There are 240 ha of pure map units and 85 ha of soil complexes dominated by Neaves soils . The
complexes are mostly with Alouette and Sturgeon soils .
Topography and Elevation : Neaves soils are mainly level to gently undulating ; a few areas are undulating .
Slopes are all less than 3 percent . Neaves are usually slightly depressional in relation to adjacent soils and li e
less than 4 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Neaves soils have developed from medium-textured, stone-free, mixe d
floodplain deposits of the Alouette, Pitt and Fraser Rivers which are more than 50 cm thick and overlie sand . Th e
surface texture is silt loam and contains about 10 percent organic matter ; the subsurface and upper subsoil are
also usually silt loam but vary occasionally to loam . The lower subsoil gradually changes to sand or loamy san d
below about 80 cm .
Soil Moisture Characteristics : Neaves soils are poorly to very poorly drained . They are moderatel y
pervious and have high water holding capacity and slow surface runoff . The watertable is near, and sometime s
at, the soil surface during most of the winter but recedes slightly during the growing season . Surface ponding i s
common after heavy rains .
General Soil Description : Neaves soils have a very dark grayish brown to dark grayish brown, friable t o
firm, silty, cultivated surface layer about 20 cm thick . It contains about 10 percent organic matter in variou s
stages of decomposition . The surface layer is underlain by about 30 cm of dark grayish brown, firm, massive ,
silty material containing few to common, yellowish-brown mottles . This then grades to about 40 cm of grayish -
brown, gray, or dark gray, massive, silty or loamy material containing common, prominent, yellowish-red to
strong brown mottles and old, vertical, dead roots . Under this is dark gray to greenish-gray, massive, sand y
material, usually saturated . Soil reaction gradually increases from extremely acid in the surface to medium aci d
below about 100 cm depth . Soil classification is Rego Gleysol.
Commonly Associated Soils : Alouette, Pitt and Sturgeon soils often occur in close association wit h
Neaves soils . Alouette and Sturgeon soils differ from Neaves soils by having organic surfaces between 15 an d
40 cm thick . Pitt soils lie in slightly higher landscape positions and are clayey in texture .
Vegetation : Most areas of Neaves soils are cleared and cultivated . Uncleared areas support willow, hardhack ,
sedges, reeds, and other moisture tolerant species . Rooting depth is mainly restricted to the upper 50 cm b y
high groundwater tables .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Poor drainage limits Neaves soils for most agricultural crops an d
artificial drainage is required for good production . The high watertables are particularly damaging for perennials
during the winter months . Liming is beneficial to ameliorate the extremely acid surface conditions . (2 )
Urban and related uses are not suited for Neaves soils . Variable soil bearing strengths require specia l
foundation considerations ; watertables are at or near the surface for most of the year thereby makin g
basements and other excavations impractical and periodic surface flooding is likely . Septic tank effluen t
disposal is severely impaired by the poor drainage conditions .
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