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Del Rio, Texas
Inside Del Rio's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
That clay share is above Val Verde County's 1%. FEMA's flood data list 11 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78840 overlapping the city. Of its 13,523 homes, 54% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1978.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Val Verde 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 Del Rio
Foundation repair in Del Rio: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 7% of Del Rio's mapped land.
About 9,800 of Del Rio's 13,523 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 Del Rio city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 35.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.2% |
| Mapped soil | 13,141 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Coahuila | 40% | n/a |
| Reynosa | 10% | n/a |
| Zapata | 10% | n/a |
| Acuna | 9% | n/a |
| Olmos | 8% | n/a |
| Vinegarroon | 7% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Del Rio; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Val Verde County
95.6% of Val Verde 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 Del Rio. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78840 | 98% | 11 | $177,077 |
Homes in Del Rio
| Housing units | 13,523 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $160,400 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brackettville | 29 mi | 15% | 0% |
| Spofford | 32 mi | 12% | under 1% |
| Eagle Pass | 53 mi | 41% | 0% |
| Camp Wood | 56 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Rocksprings | 60 mi | 5% | 0% |
| Uvalde | 67 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Leakey | 72 mi | 32% | 0% |
| Crystal City | 79 mi | 37% | 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