Basement waterproofing in Rochester

Basement waterproofing in Rochester: a shallow water table limits basements on 97% of Rochester's mapped land, more than in 89% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Rochester logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.

In Lorain County, 65% of the 60 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.

Prices

Cost guide ranges compared

Soil under Rochester city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)	1.2%
High water table (limits basements)	97.3%
Septic fields very limited	97.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)	3.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)	1.2%
Mapped soil	727 acres

Soil series	Share here	Series nationally: high water table
Mahoning	53%	100%
Ellsworth	17%	99%
Trumbull	7%	n/a
Lobdell	6%	n/a
Fitchville	5%	96%
Chagrin	4%	n/a

Rochester city limits inside Lorain County, shaded by the city's high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

On 97% of Rochester'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 Lorain County

0% of Lorain County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Rochester. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIP	Share of city land	Flood losses	Paid
44090	100%	1	$0

Homes

Rochester 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
Wellington	5 mi	1%	90%
New London	6 mi	under 1%	77%
Spencer	10 mi	3%	87%
Kipton	10 mi	0%	98%
Wakeman	10 mi	under 1%	85%
Savannah	11 mi	under 1%	68%
Oberlin	12 mi	under 1%	99%
Bailey Lakes	12 mi	9%	71%

More in Ohio

Other cities in Lorain County, largest first.

Lorain 5% clay · 71% water
Elyria 8% clay · 72% water
North Ridgeville 5% clay · 87% water
Avon Lake 6% clay · 94% water
Avon 11% clay · 85% water
Vermilion 4% clay · 85% water
Amherst 5% clay · 74% water
Sheffield Lake 1% clay · 77% water
Oberlin under 1% clay · 99% water
Wellington 1% clay · 90% water
Sheffield 8% clay · 89% water
LaGrange 0% clay · over 99% water

Largest cities in Ohio.

Columbus 8% clay · 63% water
Cleveland under 1% clay · 17% water
Cincinnati 8% clay · 4% water
Toledo 2% clay · 41% water
Akron 1% clay · 34% water
Dayton 6% clay · 28% water
Parma 0% clay · 53% water
Canton 1% clay · 25% water

Guides for a high water table: Crawl space moisture and humidity · Wet basements · Foundation drains · Basement waterproofing cost · Crawl space encapsulation.

All Ohio cities and counties

Rochester, Ohio