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Montezuma, Ohio
Inside Montezuma's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 92% of mapped land, higher than 81% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 24%, the 5th-highest of 9 cities in Mercer County.
That water-table share is close to Mercer County's 95%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45866 overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Mercer County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
Basement waterproofing in Montezuma
Basement waterproofing in Montezuma: a shallow water table limits basements on 92% of Montezuma's mapped land, more than in 81% of Ohio cities.
Soil under Montezuma city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 24.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 92.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.4% |
| Mapped soil | 67 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% 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 24% of the mapped land.
On 92% of Montezuma's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Mercer County
0% of Mercer 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 Montezuma. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45866 | 99% | 0 | $0 |
Homes
Montezuma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coldwater | 4 mi | 29% | over 99% |
| Celina | 5 mi | 23% | 67% |
| Chickasaw | 5 mi | 19% | 93% |
| St. Henry | 6 mi | 25% | over 99% |
| St. Marys | 9 mi | 11% | 68% |
| New Bremen | 10 mi | 27% | 99% |
| Burkettsville | 11 mi | 47% | over 99% |
| Osgood | 11 mi | 34% | 100% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status