Otway, Ohio
Inside Otway's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 48% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 5 cities in Scioto County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is above Scioto County's 34%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45657 overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Scioto County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
Basement waterproofing in Otway
Basement waterproofing in Otway: a shallow water table limits basements on 48% of Otway's mapped land.
Soil under Otway city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 48.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.2% |
| Mapped soil | 114 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 48% of Otway's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Scioto County
0% of Scioto 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 Otway. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45657 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes
Otway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rarden | 5 mi | 1% | 79% |
| Peebles | 13 mi | 40% | 34% |
| Portsmouth | 15 mi | 3% | 16% |
| New Boston | 16 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Piketon | 17 mi | 18% | 50% |
| Sinking Spring | 18 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| West Union | 20 mi | 41% | 41% |
| Seaman | 21 mi | 0% | 75% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status