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Bayside, Texas
Inside Bayside's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 53% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 4 cities in Refugio County. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%, the highest of 4 cities in Refugio County.
That clay share is close to Refugio County's 54%. FEMA's flood data list 17 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78340 overlapping the city. Of its 313 homes, 44% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1985.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Refugio 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
Foundation repair in Bayside
Foundation repair in Bayside: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 53% of Bayside's mapped land, more than in 60% of Texas cities.
About 300 of Bayside's 313 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Bayside city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 53.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 12.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 61.5% |
| Mapped soil | 697 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 37% | 99% |
| Orelia | 26% | n/a |
| Monteola | 11% | n/a |
| Barrada | 8% | n/a |
| Narta | 3% | n/a |
| Banquete | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 12.3% by land area here, and 61% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 53% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Refugio County is in drought on the latest map, and 53% of Bayside's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Refugio County
100% of Refugio 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 Bayside. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78340 | 100% | 17 | $418,911 |
Homes in Bayside
| Housing units | 313 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 37% |
| Owner-occupied | 93% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $172,300 |
| Single-family detached | 90% |
Nearby cities
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