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Shallowater, Texas
Inside Shallowater's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 47% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Lubbock County. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
That clay share is close to Lubbock County's 42%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79363 overlapping the city. Of its 1,121 homes, 46% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1985.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lubbock 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 Shallowater
Foundation repair in Shallowater: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 47% of Shallowater's mapped land, more than in 54% of Texas cities.
About 1,000 of Shallowater's 1,121 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 Shallowater city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 47.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 27.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 24.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,040 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.6% by land area here, and 25% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 47% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 64.1% of Lubbock County is in drought on the latest map, and 47% of Shallowater's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Drought in Lubbock County
64.1% of Lubbock 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 Shallowater. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79363 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Shallowater
| Housing units | 1,121 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $210,000 |
| Single-family detached | 91% |
Nearby cities
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