HomeTexasCameron CountyIndian Lake
Indian Lake, Texas
Inside Indian Lake's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 15% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Cameron County's 29%. FEMA's flood data list 22 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78566 overlapping the city. Of its 465 homes, 22% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1991.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cameron 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 Indian Lake
Foundation repair in Indian Lake: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 15% of Indian Lake's mapped land.
| 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 Indian Lake city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 14.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 14.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 14.5% |
| Mapped soil | 172 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Laredo | 60% | 0% |
| Olmito | 10% | n/a |
| Harlingen | 6% | n/a |
| Cameron | 2% | n/a |
| Reynosa | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 15% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Indian Lake; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Cameron County
83.8% of Cameron 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 Indian Lake. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78566 | 100% | 22 | $596,200 |
Homes in Indian Lake
| Housing units | 465 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 22% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $65,400 |
| Single-family detached | 8% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Fresnos | 1 mi | 45% | 10% |
| Rancho Viejo | 5 mi | 26% | 5% |
| Brownsville | 7 mi | 41% | 31% |
| Bayview | 7 mi | 27% | 3% |
| San Benito | 9 mi | 63% | 4% |
| Rio Hondo | 11 mi | 39% | 21% |
| Port Isabel | 12 mi | 7% | 54% |
| Laguna Vista | 13 mi | 34% | 64% |
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