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New Waverly, Texas
Inside New Waverly's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 43% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 3 cities in Walker County. A shallow water table limits basements on 53%, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Walker County.
That clay share is close to Walker County's 40%. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77358 overlapping the city. Of its 447 homes, 50% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1980.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Walker 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 New Waverly
Foundation repair in New Waverly: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 43% of New Waverly's mapped land, more than in 52% of Texas cities.
About 300 of New Waverly's 447 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 New Waverly city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 43.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 52.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 84.7% |
| Mapped soil | 1,427 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Annona | 42% | n/a |
| Redco | 21% | n/a |
| Leson | 16% | n/a |
| Woodville | 5% | n/a |
| Gowker | 3% | n/a |
| Kanebreak | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.0% by land area here, and 85% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 43% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Walker County is in drought on the latest map, and 43% of New Waverly's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 53% of New Waverly's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Walker County
100% of Walker 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 New Waverly. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77358 | over 99% | 7 | $264,347 |
Homes in New Waverly
| Housing units | 447 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 49% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $162,500 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willis | 7 mi | 15% | 85% |
| Panorama Village | 11 mi | 0% | 63% |
| Huntsville | 12 mi | 36% | 58% |
| Conroe | 15 mi | 10% | 64% |
| Cut and Shoot | 16 mi | 1% | 49% |
| Montgomery | 16 mi | 81% | 27% |
| Coldspring | 21 mi | 2% | 5% |
| Point Blank | 21 mi | 63% | 67% |
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