HomeOhioPutnam CountyGilboa
Gilboa, Ohio
Inside Gilboa's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 94% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 15 cities in Putnam County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 51%.
That water-table share is close to Putnam County's 96%. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45875 overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Putnam County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
Basement waterproofing in Gilboa
Basement waterproofing in Gilboa: a shallow water table limits basements on 94% of Gilboa's mapped land, more than in 83% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Gilboa logged 7 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
Soil under Gilboa city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 50.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 93.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 50.3% |
| Mapped soil | 84 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton | 39% | n/a |
| Shoals | 25% | n/a |
| Del Rey | 13% | n/a |
| Toledo | 11% | n/a |
| Lenawee | 3% | n/a |
| Lucas | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.0% by land area here, and 50% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 51% of the mapped land.
On 94% of Gilboa's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Putnam County
0% of Putnam 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 Gilboa. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45875 | 100% | 7 | $39,448 |
Homes
Gilboa has fewer than 100 housing units in the ACS 2020-2024 estimates, too few for reliable shares.
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pandora | 5 mi | 13% | 91% |
| Ottawa | 6 mi | 62% | 84% |
| Benton Ridge | 7 mi | 21% | 70% |
| Leipsic | 7 mi | 77% | 93% |
| West Leipsic | 7 mi | 40% | 76% |
| Glandorf | 8 mi | 45% | 93% |
| Mount Cory | 8 mi | 34% | over 99% |
| Rawson | 8 mi | 35% | 98% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status