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Oyster Creek, Texas
Inside Oyster Creek's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 48% of mapped land, higher than 55% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 27%.
That clay share is below Brazoria County's 64%. FEMA's flood data list 510 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77541 overlapping the city. Of its 662 homes, 44% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1986.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Brazoria 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 Oyster Creek
Foundation repair in Oyster Creek: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 48% of Oyster Creek's mapped land, more than in 55% of Texas cities.
About 300 of Oyster Creek's 662 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 Oyster Creek city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 48.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 27.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 50.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 12.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 48.2% |
| Mapped soil | 1,503 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Asa | 25% | 0% |
| Surfside | 19% | n/a |
| Brazoria | 19% | n/a |
| Pledger | 12% | n/a |
| Norwood | 4% | n/a |
| Churnabog | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 12.1% by land area here, and 48% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 48% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Brazoria County is in drought on the latest map, and 48% of Oyster Creek's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 27% of Oyster Creek's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 50% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Brazoria County
100% of Brazoria 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 Oyster Creek. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77541 | 100% | 510 | $14.6 million |
Homes in Oyster Creek
| Housing units | 662 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $164,500 |
| Single-family detached | 45% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surfside Beach | 4 mi | 13% | 93% |
| Freeport | 4 mi | 49% | 75% |
| Clute | 5 mi | 47% | 28% |
| Quintana | 6 mi | 3% | 30% |
| Richwood | 6 mi | 78% | 6% |
| Lake Jackson | 8 mi | 67% | 15% |
| Jones Creek | 9 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Angleton | 13 mi | 64% | 65% |
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