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Port Lavaca, Texas
Inside Port Lavaca's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 65% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Calhoun County. A shallow water table limits basements on 8%, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Calhoun County.
That clay share is above Calhoun County's 33%. FEMA's flood data list 185 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77979 overlapping the city. Of its 5,394 homes, 66% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1972.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Calhoun 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 Port Lavaca
Foundation repair in Port Lavaca: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 65% of Port Lavaca's mapped land, more than in 70% of Texas cities.
About 3,700 of Port Lavaca's 5,394 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 Port Lavaca city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 64.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 65.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 64.9% |
| Mapped soil | 9,029 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Laewest | 51% | 94% |
| Dacosta | 10% | n/a |
| Contee | 5% | n/a |
| Placedo | 2% | n/a |
| Harris | 1% | n/a |
| Ijam | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.6% by land area here, and 65% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 65% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Calhoun County is in drought on the latest map, and 65% of Port Lavaca's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Calhoun County
100% of Calhoun 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 Port Lavaca. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77979 | 100% | 185 | $4.4 million |
Homes in Port Lavaca
| Housing units | 5,394 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 66% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $128,200 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point Comfort | 6 mi | 89% | 13% |
| Seadrift | 15 mi | 74% | 39% |
| Bloomington | 17 mi | 79% | 12% |
| La Ward | 19 mi | 65% | 26% |
| Austwell | 20 mi | 96% | 3% |
| Edna | 25 mi | 85% | 40% |
| Palacios | 25 mi | 77% | 69% |
| Victoria | 26 mi | 62% | 20% |
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