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Elmore, Ohio
Inside Elmore's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 76% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 8 cities in Ottawa County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4%.
That water-table share is close to Ottawa County's 75%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43416 overlapping the city. Of its 680 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1949.
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 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Elmore
Basement waterproofing in Elmore: a shallow water table limits basements on 76% of Elmore's mapped land, more than in 61% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Elmore logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Ottawa County, 9% of the 75 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 600 of Elmore's 680 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Elmore city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 76.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.5% |
| Mapped soil | 567 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Kibbie | 43% | n/a |
| Colwood | 27% | n/a |
| Genesee | 8% | n/a |
| Rimer | 4% | n/a |
| St. Clair | 3% | n/a |
| Haskins | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 76% of Elmore's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 84% 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 Elmore. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43416 | 100% | 1 | $3,091 |
Homes in Elmore
| Housing units | 680 |
| Median year built | 1949 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $171,700 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodville | 4 mi | 47% | 81% |
| Lindsey | 5 mi | 3% | 91% |
| Genoa | 5 mi | 55% | 78% |
| Rocky Ridge | 6 mi | 65% | 88% |
| Gibsonburg | 6 mi | 30% | 47% |
| Clay Center | 8 mi | 49% | 65% |
| Oak Harbor | 9 mi | 51% | 77% |
| Helena | 9 mi | 45% | 91% |
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