HomeOhioLucas CountyOttawa Hills
Ottawa Hills, Ohio
Inside Ottawa Hills' city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 39% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is below Lucas County's 68%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 1,843 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1955.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lucas County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Ottawa Hills
Basement waterproofing in Ottawa Hills: a shallow water table limits basements on 39% of Ottawa Hills' mapped land, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Ottawa Hills logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Lucas County, 35% of the 34 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 1,400 of Ottawa Hills' 1,843 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Ottawa Hills city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 39.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 56.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.5% |
| Urban land, not rated | 17.8% |
| Mapped soil | 1,200 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bixler | 15% | n/a |
| Ottokee | 14% | n/a |
| Eel | 11% | n/a |
| Sisson | 9% | n/a |
| Metamora | 4% | n/a |
| Tedrow | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 39% of Ottawa Hills' mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 57% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lucas County
0% of Lucas 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 Ottawa Hills. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43606 | 50% | 0 | $0 |
| 43615 | 50% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Ottawa Hills
| Housing units | 1,843 |
| Median year built | 1955 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 2% |
| Owner-occupied | 88% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $314,900 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
Nearby cities
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