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Buchtel, Ohio
Inside Buchtel's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 29% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19%, the 4th-highest of 10 cities in Athens County.
That water-table share is close to Athens County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45716 overlapping the city. Of its 185 homes, 61% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1971.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Athens 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 Buchtel
Basement waterproofing in Buchtel: a shallow water table limits basements on 29% of Buchtel's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Buchtel logged 5 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Athens County, 8% of the 26 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 100 of Buchtel's 185 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Buchtel city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 29.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.5% |
| Mapped soil | 301 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Chagrin | 21% | n/a |
| McGary | 13% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 12% | 0% |
| Euclid | 9% | n/a |
| Dekalb | 6% | n/a |
| Guernsey | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.1% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
On 29% of Buchtel's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Athens County
0% of Athens 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 Buchtel. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45716 | 92% | 5 | $18,813 |
Homes in Buchtel
| Housing units | 185 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $150,000 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelsonville | 2 mi | 11% | 22% |
| Murray City | 3 mi | 16% | 33% |
| Chauncey | 5 mi | 10% | 49% |
| Jacksonville | 5 mi | 4% | 60% |
| Trimble | 5 mi | 12% | 34% |
| Glouster | 6 mi | 10% | 45% |
| New Straitsville | 8 mi | 33% | 36% |
| Hemlock | 9 mi | 14% | 38% |
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