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Clay Center, Ohio
Inside Clay Center's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 65% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 8 cities in Ottawa County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 49%, the 5th-highest of 8 cities in Ottawa County.
That water-table share is below Ottawa County's 75%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 137 homes, 73% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1950.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Ottawa County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Clay Center
Basement waterproofing in Clay Center: a shallow water table limits basements on 65% of Clay Center's mapped land.
In Ottawa County, 9% of the 75 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 100 of Clay Center's 137 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Clay Center city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 48.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 65.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 65.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.7% |
| Mapped soil | 649 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Hoytville | 40% | 99% |
| Nappanee | 20% | n/a |
| Millsdale | 3% | n/a |
| St. Clair | 2% | n/a |
| Wabasha | 1% | n/a |
| Toledo | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 5% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 49% of the mapped land.
On 65% of Clay Center's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Ottawa County
0% of Ottawa 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 Clay Center. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43408 | 65% | 0 | $0 |
| 43445 | 16% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Clay Center
| Housing units | 137 |
| Median year built | 1950 |
| Built before 1980 | 73% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,400 |
| Single-family detached | 100% |
Nearby cities
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