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Pandora, Ohio
Inside Pandora's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 91% of mapped land, higher than 80% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 13%.
That water-table share is close to Putnam County's 96%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45877 overlapping the city. Of its 636 homes, 81% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1953.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Putnam 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 Pandora
Basement waterproofing in Pandora: a shallow water table limits basements on 91% of Pandora's mapped land, more than in 80% of Ohio cities.
About 500 of Pandora's 636 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Pandora city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 12.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 91.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 14.2% |
| Mapped soil | 695 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lenawee | 28% | n/a |
| Millgrove | 14% | n/a |
| Digby | 12% | n/a |
| Del Rey | 9% | n/a |
| Sloan | 7% | n/a |
| Mermill | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 91% of Pandora's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Putnam County
0% of Putnam 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 Pandora. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45877 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Pandora
| Housing units | 636 |
| Median year built | 1953 |
| Built before 1980 | 81% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $147,700 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluffton | 5 mi | 20% | 89% |
| Gilboa | 5 mi | 51% | 94% |
| Columbus Grove | 6 mi | 49% | 83% |
| Ottawa | 7 mi | 62% | 84% |
| Mount Cory | 7 mi | 34% | over 99% |
| Beaverdam | 8 mi | 16% | 99% |
| Glandorf | 8 mi | 45% | 93% |
| Rawson | 9 mi | 35% | 98% |
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