Colorado County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 37% of Colorado County's mapped land, a higher share than 85% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 24%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 49 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Colorado County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 37.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 24.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 44.9% |
| Mapped soil | 623,417 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Telf | 9% | n/a |
| Straber | 9% | n/a |
| Nada | 8% | n/a |
| Tremona | 7% | n/a |
| Garwood | 4% | n/a |
| Hallettsville | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX089 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.6% by land area here, and 45% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 37% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 37% of Colorado County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 24% of Colorado County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.80 in, 10.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.22 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 34 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 35.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
49 flood losses since 2016, $3.9 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 31. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 82% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 14% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 19.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 31 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.80 in (-10.42) |
| 2025 | 29.88 in (-14.34) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 62.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 18.19 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLUMBUS (8 mi away) | 15.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,102 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $209,800 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Colorado County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 12% | 22% | 1,653 |
| Eagle Lake | 60% | 8% | 1,385 |
| Weimar | 68% | 2% | 1,266 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin County, TX | 25 mi | 38% | 20% |
| Wharton County, TX | 28 mi | 68% | 32% |
| Lavaca County, TX | 29 mi | 48% | 37% |
| Fayette County, TX | 31 mi | 67% | 14% |
| Waller County, TX | 43 mi | 24% | 40% |
| Washington County, TX | 43 mi | 54% | 9% |
| Jackson County, TX | 44 mi | 67% | 24% |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 45 mi | 64% | 42% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status