G. Wade Hurt is a soil scientist in the United States and an authority on

hydric soil Hydric soil is soil which is permanently or seasonally saturated by water, resulting in anaerobic conditions, as found in wetlands. Overview Most soils are aerobic. This is important because plant roots respire (that is, they consume oxygen and ...

s. As of 2007, he has a position with the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

's Soil and Water Science Department in Gainesville. Hurt retired from the

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners an ...

(NRCS) in 2007. He served as NRCS National Leader for Hydric Soils. Wade received his bachelor's degree from

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

Editor

Wade Hurt served as editor for several editions of ''Field Indicators of Hydric Soils'', a technical reference used to identify wetland areas that fall under USA jurisdiction as defined by the

Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...

Educator

Wade Hurt teaches hydric soils classes for

soil science Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to th ...

undergraduate and graduate students as well as environmental professionals. Classes teach theoretical, morphologic, and regulatory criteria used for delineating wetlands, siting

septic drain field Septic drain fields, also called leach fields or leach drains, are subsurface wastewater disposal facilities used to remove contaminants and impurities from the liquid that emerges after anaerobic digestion in a septic tank. Organic materials in ...

s and identifying seasonal high

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...

elevation.

Notes

American soil scientists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{soil-sci-stub