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Three Rivers, Texas
Inside Three Rivers' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 61% of mapped land, higher than 66% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Live Oak County's 29%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78071 overlapping the city. Of its 848 homes, 47% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1981.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Live Oak 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 Three Rivers
Foundation repair in Three Rivers: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 61% of Three Rivers' mapped land, more than in 66% of Texas cities.
About 600 of Three Rivers' 848 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 Three Rivers city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 61.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 63.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 61.4% |
| Mapped soil | 940 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Buchel | 56% | n/a |
| Pernitas | 14% | n/a |
| Weesatche | 8% | n/a |
| Sinton | 7% | n/a |
| Papalote | 5% | n/a |
| Odem | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.1% by land area here, and 61% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 61% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Live Oak County is in drought on the latest map, and 61% of Three Rivers' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Live Oak County
100% of Live Oak 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 Three Rivers. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78071 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Three Rivers
| Housing units | 848 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 47% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 48% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $77,800 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| George West | 10 mi | 29% | 0% |
| Beeville | 26 mi | 40% | 9% |
| Christine | 29 mi | 39% | under 1% |
| Kenedy | 31 mi | 51% | under 1% |
| Lakeside | 32 mi | 25% | 7% |
| Lake City | 32 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Karnes City | 33 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Mathis | 34 mi | 67% | 1% |
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