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Blackwell, Texas
Inside Blackwell's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 3 cities in Nolan County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Nolan County's 13%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79506 overlapping the city. Of its 123 homes, 76% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1964.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Nolan 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 Blackwell
Foundation repair in Blackwell: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 3% of Blackwell's mapped land.
About 100 of Blackwell's 123 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 Blackwell city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.1% |
| Mapped soil | 379 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Mereta | 67% | n/a |
| Pyron | 13% | n/a |
| Rowena | 3% | n/a |
| Dermott | 3% | n/a |
| Cho | 2% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 2% | 88% |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Blackwell; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Nolan County
100% of Nolan 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 Blackwell. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79506 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Blackwell
| Housing units | 123 |
| Median year built | 1964 |
| Built before 1980 | 76% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $82,100 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronte | 14 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Robert Lee | 16 mi | 25% | under 1% |
| Winters | 23 mi | 17% | under 1% |
| Sweetwater | 27 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Roscoe | 28 mi | 30% | 6% |
| Trent | 30 mi | 70% | 0% |
| Buffalo Gap | 32 mi | 30% | 0% |
| Tuscola | 32 mi | 79% | under 1% |
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