Quick answer
For water damage in McFaddin, TX, shut off your main valve first, or turn off the well pump breaker if you are on a private well. For a failing septic system, call Victoria County Environmental Services at 361-578-6281, extension 2. Then call a water damage restoration company; drying should start within 24 to 48 hours. Texas insurers must acknowledge your claim within 15 days.
Do this first
Local water and septic lines.
- Shut off the water. Close your main valve, or turn off the well pump breaker if your home runs on a private well. McFaddin is unincorporated, with no town water office; for a meter leak, call the number on your water bill.
- Make it safe and document it. Cut power to wet rooms from a dry spot, photograph the damage, then report the claim.
- Start drying within 24 to 48 hours. Raised ranch houses and mobile homes on the coastal plain stay damp underneath long after the rooms above dry, so ask for readings under the floor.
The San Antonio River and the low pastures around McFaddin can flood after tropical rain. Never drive through water over a road. Floodwater can carry septic runoff, so treat it as contaminated.
What to know about water damage in McFaddin
1931
The year the first oil well in Victoria County came in at McFaddin. The town's population held at 75 for thirty years, then was estimated at 320 by 1974.
Source: Handbook of Texas, McFaddin
A cattleman's ranch
McFaddin is named for Capt. James A. McFaddin, a Civil War veteran and Refugio County cattleman who began ranching at the fork of the Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers in 1876.
Source: Handbook of Texas, McFaddin
Briefly Marianna
In 1906 the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway put a station here and named it Marianna, and a Marianna post office followed in 1907. In 1923 Al McFaddin changed the name back.
Source: Handbook of Texas, McFaddin
River gauge crests
The San Antonio River gauge near McFaddin reports observed stages only, with no flood categories set. Its highest crests on record are 30.08 feet on July 14, 2021, and 29.48 feet on May 22, 2015.
Source: NOAA National Water Prediction Service, San Antonio River near McFaddin
Its own school until 1994
McFaddin's first school, a four-room wooden building, opened in 1905. The McFaddin school district consolidated into Refugio ISD on July 1, 1994.
Septic complaints
Victoria County Environmental Services, at 2805 N. Navarro in Victoria, takes complaints about failing septic systems. Victoria County is a TCEQ-authorized agent for septic permits.
Sources: Victoria County Environmental Services, Victoria County OSSF
Next to a proposed plant site
In Exelon's 2010 early site permit filing for a Victoria County nuclear station, McFaddin was named the closest community, about a mile southwest of the site boundary. The filing put the site about 21 miles north of San Antonio Bay.
2 damaged homes
After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, 2 homeowners in ZIP 77973 registered for FEMA aid. Inspectors found damage at 2 homes, totaling about $4,197. Owners who did not apply are not counted.
Freezes and rain
The NOAA weather station at Austwell, about 12.5 miles away, averages 4.7 nights a year at or below 32°F and rarely drops to 20°F. In half of years the first freeze comes by December 27 and the last one after January 30. Pipes in outside walls, attics, and pier-and-beam crawlspaces are the first to split. It also averages 41.89 inches of rain a year.
Check your ZIP
How often does Victoria County get flash flood warnings?
The National Weather Service issued 41 flash flood warnings that included Victoria County from 2016 through November 12, 2026, peaking at 19 in 2021. Each one means flooding is happening or about to happen.
Source: our count from the National Weather Service warning archive, Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
| Year | Warnings |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 19 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 | 4 |
Cost and insurance in McFaddin
How much does water damage restoration cost in McFaddin?
Most jobs run $450 to $16,000 (Angi). River flooding needs a separate flood policy. Humid Gulf air and wet subfloors slow drying.
Water removal and restoration in McFaddin
The company that answers handles slab and supply line leaks, water heater failures, septic backups, and storm water after tropical rain, plus burst pipes, appliance leaks, drying, and septic backups.
McFaddin questions
Who do I call about a failing septic system in McFaddin?
Victoria County Environmental Services, 361-578-6281, extension 2. A restoration company handles the cleanup inside the house.
Does McFaddin freeze?
Not often. The NOAA station at Austwell, about 13 miles away, averages about 5 nights a year at or below 32°F, and in half of years the first freeze waits until December 27.
How high has the San Antonio River gotten near McFaddin?
The gauge near McFaddin crested at 30.08 feet on July 14, 2021, its highest on record, and at 29.48 feet on May 22, 2015.
Why was the town once called Marianna?
The railway named its 1906 station Marianna, and the post office used that name from 1907. Al McFaddin, the founder's son, restored the McFaddin name in 1923.
Which ZIP codes does this page cover?
ZIP 77973, the McFaddin post office area in southwestern Victoria County.
Related guides
Other Texas towns- Sewage backup: what to do first
- Water mitigation vs. restoration
- Burst pipe repair cost
- Texas insurance claim deadlines, in plain English
- Frozen and burst pipes: what to do
- Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?
- How long water damage takes to dry
Local phone numbers checked November 2026: