Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

BATES SOILS (BT)
Location and Extent : Bates soils occur mainly in Matsqui, Hatzic and Sumas valleys and in the western par t
of Chilliwhack Municipality with smaller, scattered areas elsewhere on the lowlands. There are about 700 ha o f
pure map units and a further 2400 ha of soil complexes dominated by Bates soils . The complexes are usuall y
with Lickman, Vye, Buckerfield, Fadden and McElvee soils .
Topography and Elevation : Topographically, Bates soils are gently undulating to gently rolling with slope s
between 2 and 9 percent . When associated with better drained soils, Bates soils occupy the slight depression s
and lower slopes of the undulating topography ; when associated with more poorly drained soils, they occup y
the tops and upper slopes of the undulations . Elevations range between 5 and 15 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Medium and some moderately fine textured, stone-free, local strea m
deposits are the parent material of Bates soils . These overbank deposits, usually at least 1 m thick, were erode d
from surrounding higher areas and redeposited as levees and other forms along present and abandone d
stream courses during flood periods. They usually overlie Fraser River floodplain or lacustrine deposits .
Surface, subsurface and subsoil textures range from silt loam to silty clay loam . Sand is usually present a t
depths below at least 1 m and, occasionally, is encountered between depths of 50 and 100 cm .
Soil Moisture Characteristics : Bates soils are mostly imperfectly drained with a few areas being moder -
ately poorly drained . They are moderately pervious and have high water holding capacity and moderate to slow
surface runoff . A fluctuating groundwater table is usually present during the winter but drops below 1 m durin g
the growing season and is, in part, related to water levels in adjacent streams .
General Soil Description : Bates soils have a friable, dark brown to dark grayish brown, silty surface laye r
about 20 cm thick which is underlain by a brown to grayish-brown, weakly leached layer about 15 cm thic k
containing faint, reddish and yellowish mottles . This leached layer is underlain, in turn, by about 40 cm of slightl y
clay enriched, brownish-gray, silty material that is moderately structured and contains many, reddish-brown t o
reddish-yellow mottles . It grades to a grayish-brown, massive, moderately mottled, silty subsoil, sometime s
containing thin, grayish-black, old, buried surfaces . Sand or loamy sand usually occurs below 1 m or more an d
occasionally below 50 cm . Soil reaction ranges from strongly acid in the surface to slightly acid in the subsoil .
Soil classification is Gleyed Eluviated Melanic Brunisol .
Commonly Associated Soils : Lickman, Sim, McElvee, Vye, Fadden and Buckerfield soils are usuall y
closely associated with Bates soils . These soils differ from Bates soils by being, in the case of Buckerfield an d
Sim soils, more poorly drained and having black surfaces . McElvee soils are also more poorly drained tha n
Bates soils but have a grayish surface . Vye and Fadden soils contain well-developed clay accumulation layer s
in the subsurface while Lickman soils are well-drained and contain smaller amounts of organic matter in th e
surface layer .
Vegetation : Natural vegetation has generally been cleared from Bates soils and most areas are cultivated .
Small, remaining uncleared areas support a variety of mainly deciduous trees and shrubs with some wester n
red cedar, coast Douglas-fir and occasional Sitka spruce . Rooting depth is relatively unrestricted, extending t o
at least 120 cm .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Bates soils are well suited for most agricultural crops althoug h
perennials sensitive to periodic high watertables may be adversely affected during the winter. Available wate r
storage capacity is high and irrigation is usually required only during years that are drier than usual . Th e
undulating topography sometimes produces uneven crop maturity which may lead to harvesting difficultie s
with some mechanically harvested crops . (2) Basements and other excavations may contain water when th e
watertable is high and the efficiency of septic tank disposal fields is impaired during these periods . (3) Bates
soils appear well suited for growth of black cottonwood ; potential yearly production of wood is estimated to b e
between 18 and 21 m3/ha .
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