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Somerville, Texas
Inside Somerville's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 60% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Burleson County. A shallow water table limits basements on 30%, the highest of 3 cities in Burleson County.
That clay share is above Burleson County's 50%. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77879 overlapping the city. Of its 607 homes, 64% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1974.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Burleson 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 Somerville
Foundation repair in Somerville: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 60% of Somerville's mapped land, more than in 65% of Texas cities.
About 500 of Somerville's 607 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 Somerville city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 60.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 29.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 82.6% |
| Mapped soil | 1,846 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.1% by land area here, and 83% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 60% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Burleson County is in drought on the latest map, and 60% of Somerville's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 30% of Somerville's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Burleson County
100% of Burleson 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 Somerville. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77879 | 100% | 8 | $620,504 |
Homes in Somerville
| Housing units | 607 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $142,800 |
| Single-family detached | 82% |
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