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Cottonwood Shores, Texas
Inside Cottonwood Shores' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Burnet County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list 146 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78657 overlapping the city. Of its 685 homes, 18% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2004.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Burnet 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 Cottonwood Shores
Foundation repair in Cottonwood Shores: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 20% of Cottonwood Shores' mapped land.
About 600 of Cottonwood Shores' 685 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 Cottonwood Shores city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 691 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Pedernales | 20% | n/a |
| Keese | 18% | n/a |
| Click | 17% | n/a |
| Bolar | 10% | n/a |
| Eckrant | 7% | 8% |
| Voca | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 2.8% by land area here, and 0% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 21.3% of Burnet County is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Cottonwood Shores' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Burnet County
21.3% of Burnet 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 Cottonwood Shores. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78657 | 100% | 146 | $4.8 million |
Homes in Cottonwood Shores
| Housing units | 685 |
| Median year built | 2004 |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 56% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $264,100 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowlakes | 2 mi | 64% | 0% |
| Marble Falls | 3 mi | 44% | under 1% |
| Horseshoe Bay | 3 mi | 10% | 0% |
| Granite Shoals | 3 mi | 0% | 0% |
| Highland Haven | 5 mi | 6% | 0% |
| Sunrise Beach Village | 6 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Double Horn | 8 mi | 70% | 0% |
| Round Mountain | 11 mi | 31% | 0% |
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