Wren, Ohio
Inside Wren's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 100% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 9 cities in Van Wert County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28%.
That water-table share is close to Van Wert County's 99%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45899 overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Van Wert County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
Basement waterproofing in Wren
Basement waterproofing in Wren: a shallow water table limits basements on 100% of Wren's mapped land, more than in 98% of Ohio cities.
Soil under Wren city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 28.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 100.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 100.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.5% |
| Mapped soil | 178 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 28% of the mapped land.
On 100% of Wren's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 100% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Van Wert County
0% of Van Wert 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 Wren. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45899 | 96% | 0 | $0 |
Homes
Wren has fewer than 100 housing units in the ACS 2020-2024 estimates, too few for reliable shares.
Nearby cities
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status