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La Grulla, Texas
Inside La Grulla's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 4 cities in Starr County. A shallow water table limits basements on 4%, the highest of 4 cities in Starr County.
That clay share is close to Starr County's 14%. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78548 overlapping the city. Of its 524 homes, 36% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1988.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Starr 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 La Grulla
Foundation repair in La Grulla: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 11% of La Grulla's mapped land.
About 500 of La Grulla's 524 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 La Grulla city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 11.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.9% |
| Mapped soil | 606 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Reynosa | 79% | n/a |
| Matamoros | 7% | n/a |
| Grulla | 4% | n/a |
| Rio Grande | under 1% | n/a |
| Camargo | under 1% | n/a |
| Zalla | under 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 11% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of La Grulla; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Starr County
100% of Starr 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 La Grulla. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78548 | 100% | 3 | $18,133 |
Homes in La Grulla
| Housing units | 524 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 85% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $54,400 |
| Single-family detached | 98% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan City | 5 mi | 3% | 4% |
| La Joya | 11 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Penitas | 13 mi | 5% | 3% |
| Rio Grande City | 13 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Palmview | 17 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Mission | 21 mi | 25% | 5% |
| Alton | 21 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Escobares | 22 mi | 19% | 3% |
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