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Athalia, Ohio
Inside Athalia's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 8% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 7 cities in Lawrence County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 26%, the 2nd-highest of 7 cities in Lawrence County.
That water-table share is close to Lawrence County's 11%. FEMA's flood data list 16 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45669 overlapping the city. Of its 165 homes, 55% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1977.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lawrence 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 Athalia
Basement waterproofing in Athalia: a shallow water table limits basements on 8% of Athalia's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Athalia logged 16 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 100 of Athalia's 165 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Athalia city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 55.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 25.5% |
| Mapped soil | 438 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 26% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 26% of the mapped land.
USDA rates 55% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lawrence County
0% of Lawrence 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 Athalia. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45669 | 100% | 16 | $180,327 |
Homes in Athalia
| Housing units | 165 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $108,300 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown City | 6 mi | 19% | 21% |
| Proctorville | 6 mi | 0% | 31% |
| Chesapeake | 10 mi | 28% | 5% |
| South Point | 16 mi | 2% | 14% |
| Coal Grove | 18 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Ironton | 20 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Gallipolis | 22 mi | 15% | 33% |
| Hanging Rock | 23 mi | 1% | 7% |
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