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Belle Valley, Ohio
Inside Belle Valley's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 48% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 6 cities in Noble County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%, the 5th-highest of 6 cities in Noble County.
That water-table share is above Noble County's 18%. FEMA's flood data list 11 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Noble County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
Basement waterproofing in Belle Valley
Basement waterproofing in Belle Valley: a shallow water table limits basements on 48% of Belle Valley's mapped land, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Belle Valley logged 11 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
Soil under Belle Valley city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 47.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 27.3% |
| Mapped soil | 259 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Berks | 25% | under 1% |
| Sarahsville | 23% | n/a |
| Kinnick | 18% | n/a |
| Zanesville | 11% | 97% |
| Lindside | 5% | n/a |
| Brookside | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.2% by land area here, and 27% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
On 48% of Belle Valley's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Noble County
0% of Noble 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 Belle Valley. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43717 | 65% | 9 | $110,107 |
| 43724 | 36% | 2 | $11,156 |
Homes
Belle Valley has fewer than 100 housing units in the ACS 2020-2024 estimates, too few for reliable shares.
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell | 4 mi | 19% | 51% |
| Sarahsville | 5 mi | 41% | 42% |
| Cumberland | 7 mi | 35% | 72% |
| Pleasant City | 8 mi | 21% | 68% |
| Dexter City | 10 mi | 46% | 43% |
| Senecaville | 11 mi | 24% | 67% |
| Summerfield | 12 mi | 49% | 6% |
| Macksburg | 12 mi | 10% | 22% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status