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Little River-Academy, Texas
Inside Little River-Academy's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 68% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 11 cities in Bell County. A shallow water table limits basements on 16%, the highest of 11 cities in Bell County.
That clay share is above Bell County's 55%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76554 overlapping the city. Of its 859 homes, 45% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1983.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Bell 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 Little River-Academy
Foundation repair in Little River-Academy: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 68% of Little River-Academy's mapped land, more than in 73% of Texas cities.
About 700 of Little River-Academy's 859 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 Little River-Academy city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 67.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 75.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 64.8% |
| Mapped soil | 1,221 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Branyon | 26% | 92% |
| Wilson | 20% | 88% |
| Lewisville | 9% | n/a |
| Venus | 8% | n/a |
| Houston Black | 6% | 91% |
| Payne | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.6% by land area here, and 65% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 68% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Bell County is in drought on the latest map, and 68% of Little River-Academy's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 16% of Little River-Academy's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Bell County
100% of Bell 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 Little River-Academy. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76554 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Little River-Academy
| Housing units | 859 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $183,300 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
Nearby cities
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