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Watauga, Texas
Inside Watauga's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 61% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 35 cities in Tarrant County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Tarrant County's 41%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76148 overlapping the city. Of its 8,299 homes, 36% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1984.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Tarrant 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 Watauga
Foundation repair in Watauga: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 61% of Watauga's mapped land, more than in 66% of Texas cities.
About 7,900 of Watauga's 8,299 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 Watauga city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 61.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 61.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 15.7% |
| Mapped soil | 2,670 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sanger | 32% | 99% |
| Slidell | 12% | n/a |
| Aledo | 10% | n/a |
| Ponder | 8% | n/a |
| Lott | 4% | n/a |
| San Saba | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.0% 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 Tarrant County is in drought on the latest map, and 61% of Watauga's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Tarrant County
100% of Tarrant 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 Watauga. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76148 | 93% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Watauga
| Housing units | 8,299 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $250,500 |
| Single-family detached | 95% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Richland Hills | 2 mi | 55% | 11% |
| Haltom City | 4 mi | 44% | 1% |
| Richland Hills | 4 mi | 33% | 1% |
| Keller | 4 mi | 54% | 9% |
| Hurst | 5 mi | 27% | 13% |
| Blue Mound | 5 mi | 53% | 0% |
| Colleyville | 6 mi | 27% | 14% |
| Saginaw | 7 mi | 73% | 0% |
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