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Waterville, Ohio
Inside Waterville's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 71% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 10 cities in Lucas County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%, the 4th-highest of 10 cities in Lucas County.
That water-table share is close to Lucas County's 68%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43566 overlapping the city. Of its 2,563 homes, 34% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1992.
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 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Waterville
Basement waterproofing in Waterville: a shallow water table limits basements on 71% of Waterville's mapped land, more than in 56% of Ohio cities.
In Lucas County, 35% of the 34 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 1,700 of Waterville's 2,563 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Waterville city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 71.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 25.1% |
| Mapped soil | 3,438 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Colwood | 12% | n/a |
| Toledo | 12% | n/a |
| Bixler | 8% | n/a |
| Lamson | 7% | n/a |
| Dixboro | 6% | n/a |
| Lenawee | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 25% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
On 71% of Waterville's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 78% 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 Waterville. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43566 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Waterville
| Housing units | 2,563 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $308,400 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haskins | 3 mi | 85% | over 99% |
| Whitehouse | 3 mi | 28% | 77% |
| Perrysburg | 5 mi | 41% | 76% |
| Tontogany | 6 mi | 70% | 98% |
| Maumee | 6 mi | 25% | 52% |
| Holland | 8 mi | under 1% | 62% |
| Swanton | 10 mi | under 1% | 77% |
| Grand Rapids | 10 mi | 36% | 84% |
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