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Bethel, Ohio
Inside Bethel's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 64% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 10 cities in Clermont County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.
That water-table share is close to Clermont County's 67%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45106 overlapping the city. Of its 1,263 homes, 68% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1958.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Clermont 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 Bethel
Basement waterproofing in Bethel: a shallow water table limits basements on 64% of Bethel's mapped land.
In Clermont County, 43% of the 35 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 800 of Bethel's 1,263 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Bethel city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 64.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 8.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 24.1% |
| Mapped soil | 916 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Rossmoyne | 22% | 96% |
| Avonburg | 12% | n/a |
| Jonesboro | 9% | n/a |
| Westboro | 6% | n/a |
| Clermont | 5% | n/a |
| Eel | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 64% of Bethel's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Clermont County
0% of Clermont 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 Bethel. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45106 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Bethel
| Housing units | 1,263 |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 48% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $158,500 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamersville | 6 mi | 3% | 100% |
| Williamsburg | 7 mi | 3% | 66% |
| Felicity | 9 mi | under 1% | 68% |
| Batavia | 9 mi | 10% | 43% |
| Mount Orab | 10 mi | 9% | 92% |
| Moscow | 11 mi | under 1% | 44% |
| New Richmond | 11 mi | 6% | 23% |
| Owensville | 11 mi | 4% | 71% |
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