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Megargel, Texas
Inside Megargel's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 53% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 6 cities in Archer County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Archer County's 36%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76370 overlapping the city. Of its 143 homes, 77% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1956.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Archer 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 Megargel
Foundation repair in Megargel: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 53% of Megargel's mapped land, more than in 60% of Texas cities.
About 100 of Megargel's 143 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 Megargel city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 52.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 52.9% |
| Mapped soil | 394 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tillman | 29% | 93% |
| Bluegrove | 29% | n/a |
| Rotan | 16% | n/a |
| Vernon | 9% | n/a |
| Wichita | 7% | n/a |
| Port | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 53% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 53% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Archer County is in drought on the latest map, and 53% of Megargel's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Archer County
100% of Archer 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 Megargel. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76370 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Megargel
| Housing units | 143 |
| Median year built | 1956 |
| Built before 1980 | 77% |
| Built 2000 or later | 4% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Single-family detached | 94% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olney | 12 mi | 54% | 0% |
| Archer City | 20 mi | 24% | 0% |
| Newcastle | 21 mi | 38% | under 1% |
| Seymour | 21 mi | 8% | under 1% |
| Throckmorton | 24 mi | 24% | 0% |
| Holliday | 29 mi | 41% | under 1% |
| Scotland | 30 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Windthorst | 30 mi | 56% | 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