HomeOhioPreble CountyWest Manchester
West Manchester, Ohio
Inside West Manchester's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 91% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 11 cities in Preble County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 24%, the 2nd-highest of 11 cities in Preble County.
That water-table share is above Preble County's 86%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45382 overlapping the city. Of its 138 homes, 95% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Preble 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 West Manchester
Basement waterproofing in West Manchester: a shallow water table limits basements on 91% of West Manchester's mapped land, more than in 79% of Ohio cities.
About 100 of West Manchester's 138 homes are detached houses.
Soil under West Manchester city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 24.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 90.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.4% |
| Mapped soil | 175 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and under 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 24% of the mapped land.
On 91% of West Manchester's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Preble County
0% of Preble 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 West Manchester. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45382 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in West Manchester
| Housing units | 138 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 95% |
| Built 2000 or later | 2% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $105,500 |
| Single-family detached | 94% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castine | 2 mi | 20% | over 99% |
| Eldorado | 3 mi | 20% | 99% |
| Lewisburg | 6 mi | 5% | 59% |
| New Madison | 6 mi | 3% | 61% |
| Verona | 6 mi | 28% | 97% |
| Gordon | 6 mi | 45% | 100% |
| Arcanum | 7 mi | 34% | 100% |
| Wayne Lakes | 8 mi | under 1% | 14% |
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