Octa, Ohio
Inside Octa's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 5 cities in Fayette County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 49%, the highest of 5 cities in Fayette County.
That water-table share is close to Fayette County's 96%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Fayette County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
Basement waterproofing in Octa
Basement waterproofing in Octa: a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of Octa's mapped land, more than in 91% of Ohio cities, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Octa logged 5 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
Soil under Octa city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 49.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 98.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.9% |
| Mapped soil | 188 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 2% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 49% of the mapped land.
On 98% of Octa's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates over 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Fayette County
0% of Fayette 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 Octa. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43128 | 73% | 0 | $0 |
| 43160 | 27% | 5 | $6,870 |
Homes
Octa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milledgeville | 2 mi | 38% | 100% |
| Jeffersonville | 4 mi | 37% | 97% |
| Bowersville | 6 mi | 30% | 100% |
| Jamestown | 8 mi | under 1% | 90% |
| South Solon | 9 mi | 37% | 88% |
| Sabina | 9 mi | 39% | 98% |
| Port William | 10 mi | 2% | 79% |
| Midway | 11 mi | 10% | 97% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status