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Mount Orab, Ohio
Inside Mount Orab's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 92% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 9 cities in Brown County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 9%, the 5th-highest of 9 cities in Brown County.
That water-table share is above Brown County's 68%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45154 overlapping the city. Of its 1,806 homes, 33% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1994.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Brown 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 Mount Orab
Basement waterproofing in Mount Orab: a shallow water table limits basements on 92% of Mount Orab's mapped land, more than in 80% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Mount Orab logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 1,200 of Mount Orab's 1,806 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Mount Orab city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 91.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 26.9% |
| Mapped soil | 6,200 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Clermont | 41% | n/a |
| Blanchester | 16% | n/a |
| Westboro | 12% | n/a |
| Rossmoyne | 9% | 96% |
| Schaffer | 7% | n/a |
| Bonnell | 7% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 92% of Mount Orab's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Brown County
0% of Brown 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 Mount Orab. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45154 | 91% | 2 | $0 |
Homes in Mount Orab
| Housing units | 1,806 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 60% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $267,400 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsburg | 7 mi | 3% | 66% |
| Sardinia | 7 mi | 16% | 81% |
| Hamersville | 8 mi | 3% | 100% |
| Mowrystown | 9 mi | 1% | 80% |
| Bethel | 10 mi | 2% | 64% |
| Fayetteville | 11 mi | 1% | 87% |
| Georgetown | 11 mi | 8% | 87% |
| Owensville | 13 mi | 4% | 71% |
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