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Petronila, Texas
Inside Petronila's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 93% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 8 cities in Nueces County. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
That clay share is above Nueces County's 56%. FEMA's flood data list 90 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78380 overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Nueces County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
Foundation repair in Petronila
Foundation repair in Petronila: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 93% of Petronila's mapped land, more than in 98% of Texas cities.
| 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 Petronila city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 93.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 17.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 93.4% |
| Mapped soil | 1,170 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 17.5% by land area here, and 93% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 93% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Nueces County is in drought on the latest map, and 93% of Petronila's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Nueces County
100% of Nueces 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 Petronila. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78380 | 100% | 90 | $857,914 |
Homes
Petronila has fewer than 100 housing units in the ACS 2020-2024 estimates, too few for reliable shares.
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driscoll | 7 mi | 93% | 1% |
| Robstown | 9 mi | 90% | 2% |
| Bishop | 12 mi | 96% | 3% |
| Kingsville | 18 mi | 62% | 1% |
| Agua Dulce | 19 mi | 97% | 1% |
| Odem | 19 mi | 30% | 3% |
| San Patricio | 23 mi | 39% | 18% |
| Portland | 24 mi | 63% | 7% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status