Adena, Ohio
Inside Adena's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 28% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 17 cities in Jefferson County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 25%, the 5th-highest of 17 cities in Jefferson County.
That water-table share is above Jefferson County's 11%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43901 overlapping the city. Of its 326 homes, 94% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1944.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Jefferson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Adena
Basement waterproofing in Adena: a shallow water table limits basements on 28% of Adena's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Adena logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Jefferson County, 70% of the 20 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 300 of Adena's 326 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Adena city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 24.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 71.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 344 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Richland | 25% | n/a |
| Nolin | 24% | n/a |
| Brookside | 21% | n/a |
| Lowell | 11% | 4% |
| Clarksburg | 3% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 2% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.8% by land area here, and under 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 25% of the mapped land.
On 28% of Adena's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Jefferson County
0% of Jefferson County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Adena. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43901 | 90% | 2 | $6,366 |
Homes in Adena
| Housing units | 326 |
| Median year built | 1944 |
| Built before 1980 | 94% |
| Built 2000 or later | 2% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $68,200 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisville | 2 mi | 25% | 59% |
| Mount Pleasant | 5 mi | 19% | 13% |
| Dillonvale | 5 mi | 17% | 21% |
| New Athens | 7 mi | 29% | 3% |
| Cadiz | 7 mi | 58% | 26% |
| Hopedale | 8 mi | 20% | 56% |
| Bloomingdale | 9 mi | 33% | 14% |
| St. Clairsville | 10 mi | 37% | 41% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status