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Chesapeake, Ohio
Inside Chesapeake's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 5% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 7 cities in Lawrence County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28%, the highest of 7 cities in Lawrence County.
That water-table share is below Lawrence County's 11%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45619 overlapping the city. Of its 564 homes, 74% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1959.
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 Chesapeake
Basement waterproofing in Chesapeake: a shallow water table limits basements on 5% of Chesapeake's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Chesapeake logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 500 of Chesapeake's 564 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Chesapeake city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 44.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 26.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 15.4% |
| Mapped soil | 360 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% 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 28% of the mapped land.
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 Chesapeake. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45619 | 100% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Chesapeake
| Housing units | 564 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 74% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,100 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proctorville | 4 mi | 0% | 31% |
| South Point | 7 mi | 2% | 14% |
| Athalia | 10 mi | 26% | 8% |
| Coal Grove | 11 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Ironton | 14 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Crown City | 14 mi | 19% | 21% |
| Hanging Rock | 17 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Gallipolis | 31 mi | 15% | 33% |
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