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Mertzon, Texas
Inside Mertzon'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 Irion County's 21%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76941 overlapping the city. Of its 430 homes, 51% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1979.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Irion 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 Mertzon
Foundation repair in Mertzon: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 15% of Mertzon's mapped land.
About 300 of Mertzon's 430 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 Mertzon city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 14.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 23.8% |
| Mapped soil | 969 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Ector | 45% | 0% |
| Nuvalde | 16% | n/a |
| Tarrant | 9% | n/a |
| Rioconcho | 9% | n/a |
| Angelo | 8% | n/a |
| Broome | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 Mertzon; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Irion County
100% of Irion 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 Mertzon. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76941 | 100% | 2 | $13,410 |
Homes in Mertzon
| Housing units | 430 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $134,400 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Angelo | 25 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Eldorado | 31 mi | 70% | 0% |
| Big Lake | 38 mi | 4% | under 1% |
| Sterling City | 41 mi | 60% | 0% |
| Miles | 44 mi | 52% | 4% |
| Robert Lee | 48 mi | 25% | under 1% |
| Sonora | 49 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Bronte | 53 mi | 23% | 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