Foundation repair in Starbase

Foundation repair in Starbase: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 8% of Starbase's mapped land.

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 Starbase city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)	8.1%
High water table (limits basements)	48.9%
Septic fields very limited	87.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)	3.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)	12.0%
Mapped soil	1,017 acres

Soil series	Share here	Series nationally: expansive clay
Galveston	29%	n/a
Sejita	25%	n/a
Mustang	11%	n/a
Lomalta	8%	n/a
Point Isabel	7%	n/a
Rio Grande	4%	n/a

Starbase city limits inside Cameron County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

On 49% of Starbase's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

83.8% of Cameron County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Starbase has fewer than 100 housing units in the ACS 2020-2024 estimates, too few for reliable shares.

Place	Distance	Expansive clay	High water table
Port Isabel	9 mi	7%	54%
South Padre Island	10 mi	0%	50%
Laguna Vista	11 mi	34%	64%
Bayview	17 mi	27%	3%
Brownsville	18 mi	41%	31%
Los Fresnos	19 mi	45%	10%
Indian Lake	21 mi	15%	0%
Rancho Viejo	23 mi	26%	5%

Other cities in Cameron County, largest first.

Largest cities in Texas.