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Eldorado, Ohio
Inside Eldorado's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of mapped land, the highest of 11 cities in Preble County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20%, the 3rd-highest of 11 cities in Preble County.
That water-table share is above Preble County's 86%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45321 overlapping the city. Of its 302 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Preble 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 Eldorado
Basement waterproofing in Eldorado: a shallow water table limits basements on 99% of Eldorado's mapped land, more than in 94% of Ohio cities.
About 300 of Eldorado's 302 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Eldorado city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 99.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.1% |
| Mapped soil | 147 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 4% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
On 99% of Eldorado's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Preble County
0% of Preble 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 Eldorado. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45321 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Eldorado
| Housing units | 302 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 1% |
| Owner-occupied | 86% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $135,600 |
| Single-family detached | 96% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Manchester | 3 mi | 24% | 91% |
| Castine | 3 mi | 20% | over 99% |
| New Madison | 5 mi | 3% | 61% |
| New Paris | 7 mi | 9% | 35% |
| Lewisburg | 8 mi | 5% | 59% |
| Wayne Lakes | 8 mi | under 1% | 14% |
| Arcanum | 9 mi | 34% | 100% |
| Verona | 9 mi | 28% | 97% |
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