Planning a new water well in Corpus Christi or the Coastal Bend

A new well on Coastal Bend land is mostly a question of finding a water-bearing layer with water worth pumping, then putting the hole in a spot the state rules allow, then getting the paperwork right with the local groundwater district. Here is each step in the order a careful owner would think about it.

1. Know the water under your feet

The whole Coastal Bend sits over the Gulf Coast Aquifer, which the Texas Water Development Board describes as running along the Gulf from Louisiana to Mexico, across 56 counties and 41,970 square miles. It is made up of the Chicot, Evangeline and Jasper aquifers. TWDB says water quality changes with depth and place: total dissolved solids are usually under 500 milligrams per liter in the central and northeastern parts, but farther south they typically run from 1,000 to more than 10,000 milligrams per liter.

So around Corpus Christi, reaching water is rarely the hard part. Reaching water you can use for the house, the garden or the cattle is. That is why your driller will talk about which sand they are aiming for, not just how deep.

2. Read the logs of wells already drilled nearby

Every licensed driller files a State of Texas Well Report showing the layers they went through, the depth, the casing and often a note on the water. Reports for wells drilled after 2002 are searchable in the Texas Water Development Board's well report system; earlier ones are held by TCEQ. A driller will pull these anyway, but looking first helps you ask sharper questions when they call.

3. Where the well is allowed to go

TDLR's rules for well location set minimum distances. In the version we read (current to December 29, 2023):

• 150 feet from concentrated sources of contamination such as livestock or poultry yards, cemeteries, pesticide mixing areas and privies;
• 100 feet from a septic system absorption field or spray area;
• 50 feet from watertight sewage and liquid-waste collection facilities;
• 50 feet from neighboring property lines, with some exceptions set out in the rule.

A groundwater district or city ordinance can set tighter limits. On a small lot with a septic system, these distances can decide the spot before anything else does.

4. Register or permit before the rig arrives

Inside the Corpus Christi Aquifer Storage and Recovery District, which covers most of the city, a household well is registered (no fee), while a commercial or large farm well needs a permit. In San Patricio County, all wells must be registered, and a permit is needed only above 25,000 gallons a day. Robstown, Rockport and Kingsville are less clear-cut. See the rules by town, and ask the driller who files what.

5. What moves the price

No honest website can give you a price for your well without seeing the site, and we don't try. These are the things that move a driller's number:

• how deep they need to go to reach a usable water sand;
• the hole and casing diameter, and the casing material;
• what the ground is like on the way down;
• the pump: its size, type and how deep it hangs;
• the run of pipe and wiring to the house, barn or storage tank, and any trenching;
• the pressure tank and controls;
• water treatment, if the test shows high salt or other problems;
• registration or permit fees from the district;
• access for the rig, and whether an old well on the same land should be plugged at the same time.

Ask for the quote in writing with those items broken out. We never set, see or share the driller's prices.

6. Questions worth asking any driller

• What is your TDLR license number? (Then look it up yourself.)
• Which water sand are you aiming for, and what did nearby well reports find at that depth?
• Who handles the district registration or permit?
• Is a water test included once the well is finished?
• If the water comes in too salty to use, what happens next, and what would that cost?
• Will you give me a copy of the well report?
• What warranty comes with the pump and the work?

7. Once it's drilled

Texas law treats a driller's well log seriously: misstating facts on a log, or failing to keep, deliver or send one, are grounds for discipline under Occupations Code §1901.301. The same section lists failing to tell the person a well is drilled for that injurious water was found, that the water is a pollution hazard, and that the well must be plugged. In plain terms, if the driller hits bad water, they have to tell you.