WELL OWNERS RESOURCES
Water Quality Testing of Your Well
Safe drinking water for you family and friends relies on frequent testing
Because no federal, state, or local entity ensures the safety of private well water, the responsibility for monitoring it falls to the well owner. Compared to people who consume public drinking water, private well owners are more likely to be exposed to unsafe drinking water.
Water Quality Testing Basics
You will need to find out the quality of the water in your aquifer. Some information about the aquifer water may be readily available from public utilities and water companies. They are required by federal and state law to report water chemistry to consumers.
(TGR link for Trinity Aquifer water quality.)
Contact the water utility for a copy of the water quality report for information about local water quality issues. However, water quality information on exempt household wells is not recorded or made available through any public agency unless the well owner has given permission.
Have your water tested whenever:
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You suspect it may be contaminated. If you notice a change in color, taste, or odor of the water.
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The pump or well has undergone maintenance recently.
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People who drink the water have experienced a change in health, especially stomach-related illnesses.
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The well water is cloudy or smelly, or tastes bad, it probably does not conform to drinking water quality standards.
If you live near oil and gas fields, you should have the water screened for non-refined hydrocarbons in addition to annual testing for coliform bacteria, nitrate, and total dissolved solids.
Maintain Water Quality Testing Records
To protect your water supply, you need to keep records on each well, manage potential sources of contamination, and test your water at least once a year.
Record the location of all wells on your property, and keep a file on each well. Each well will have a unique identification number assigned by the driller. Use this number to track historical information, which may be available from the following sources:
Texas Water Development Board Groundwater Database:
Licensed water well drillers must submit reports to the state for each well they drill. More than 130,000 wells have been recorded in the TWDB groundwater database since 2001. For more recently drilled wells, your state well report may be found here: TWDB Water Data Interactive Map
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Water Well Report Viewer:
For historic well records, TCEQ Water Well Viewer
For assistance, call 512-239-4600 or email gpat@tceq.texas.gov
Texas Alliance for Groundwater Districts: http://www.texasgroundwater.org/
Your groundwater may be managed and protected locally through a groundwater conservation district. Groundwater districts are governed under chapters 35 and 36 of the Texas Water Code.
Texas Water Development Board: TWDB Groundwater Conservation Districts webpage
Major Flooding Can Contaminate Private Water Wells
Large flood events, which South Texas is prone to, can contaminate your private water well. However, disinfection can eliminate or reduce harmful bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms that may be found in your drinking water after flooding in your area.
If your well system is damaged, the following instructions for the disinfection process will not work. An indication that your well is damaged can be a decrease in water pressure once turned on. Contact a certified well or pump contractor for examination.
It is extremely important not use contaminated water for: drinking, cooking, making ice, bathing in any form, washing clothes or dishes. After a flood, ingesting or being exposed to contaminated water can cause illness.
If you think your well system may be contaminated, some alternative options for safe include:
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using bottled water,
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boiling water for five minutes,
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using water from a source you know is not contaminated.
To learn how to disinfect a private water well, click on the red button below for instructions from Texas A&M Agrilife.
How to Contact a Certified Water Testing Lab
Following well disinfection, water should be sampled and tested. Contact a certified water testing lab for instructions and a test kit. To find a lab, visit the link below for an easy to use map of TCEQ certified labs:
Manage Potential Sources of Water Well Contamination
Materials from many common facilities can contaminate a water well. Take steps to protect your well water from contamination sources. According to Texas law, the wellhead must be at least:
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50 feet from any septic tank, cistern, property boundary, and/or non-potable well.],
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100 feet from your septic drain field or any leach field,
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150 feet from any feed storage area, pesticide or fertilizer storage area, or shelter or yard for pets or livestock, and,
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250 feet from a manure stack or liquid waste disposal system.
Would be nice to have a water well protection video here.
This one is good from the Fredericksburg area.