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Marblehead, Ohio
Inside Marblehead's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 15% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.
That water-table share is below Ottawa County's 75%. FEMA's flood data list 19 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43440 overlapping the city. Of its 1,128 homes, 37% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1994.
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 Marblehead
Basement waterproofing in Marblehead: a shallow water table limits basements on 15% of Marblehead's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Marblehead logged 19 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Ottawa County, 9% of the 75 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 900 of Marblehead's 1,128 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Marblehead city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 40.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,163 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Castalia | 22% | n/a |
| Nappanee | 9% | n/a |
| Milton | 2% | n/a |
| Algansee | 2% | n/a |
| Oakville | 2% | n/a |
| Glendora | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 15% of Marblehead's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
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 Marblehead. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43440 | 100% | 19 | $546,588 |
Homes in Marblehead
| Housing units | 1,128 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| Built before 1980 | 37% |
| Built 2000 or later | 42% |
| Owner-occupied | 91% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $376,400 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelleys Island | 5 mi | 0% | 40% |
| Sandusky | 5 mi | 33% | 74% |
| Bay View | 7 mi | 95% | 98% |
| Put-in-Bay | 10 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Castalia | 10 mi | 0% | 62% |
| Port Clinton | 11 mi | 53% | 62% |
| Huron | 13 mi | 0% | 82% |
| Milan | 18 mi | 0% | 68% |
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