Skip to content

Water wells in the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District

Home water wells inside the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District (Denton, Cooke and Collin counties, Texas) are typically 400 to 580 feet deep (median 478 ft, 1,578 wells drilled in the last 10 years). Nearly all (86%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation; by depth, roughly 73% fall in its upper part and 13% in its lower part, an approximate split. Over the last three full years drillers reported about 166 new home wells a year; the peak was 190 in 2018. Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $14,500 to $35,000.

Updated every day from Texas Water Development Board driller reports. Last update: November 11, 2026, using the state file of November 10, 2026.

Map of the North Texas Groundwater Conservation DistrictDistrict boundary (Denton, Cooke and Collin counties) with the places that have the most home wells.Denton: 522 ftDentonPonder: 460 ftCelina: 490 ftCelinaSanger: 450 ftSangerNorthlake: 495 ftNorthlakeShady Shores: 240 ftShady ShoresHighland Village: 220 ftFlower Mound: 718 ftFlower Mound25 miles

Under the center of the North Texas GCD

District boundary from TWDB's file current as of November 2019. Later changes are not shown.

Home wells in and around the North Texas GCD

Each dot is a home well from a state driller report, colored by depth. Tap one for its details and official report. Tap an empty spot to see what is under that point.

See underground

Well depth (ft)

  • <100
  • 100
  • 200
  • 300
  • 400
  • 600
  • 800+

Dark line: the district boundary (TWDB, 2019)

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
400 to 580 feet
Median depth
478 feet
Deepest 10% are past
780 feet
Water level (median)
300 feet
855 wells
Yield (median)
15 gpm
1,180 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
1,578
In the last 10 years
Counties
3
All years on file
3,488
median 475 ft, since 2001
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 300 feet below the surface (855 wells).

Map of the North Texas Groundwater Conservation DistrictDistrict boundary (Denton, Cooke and Collin counties) with the places that have the most home wells.Denton: 522 ftDentonPonder: 460 ftCelina: 490 ftCelinaSanger: 450 ftSangerNorthlake: 495 ftNorthlakeShady Shores: 240 ftShady ShoresHighland Village: 220 ftFlower Mound: 718 ftFlower Mound25 miles
District boundary from TWDB's file current as of November 2019. Later changes are not shown.

New home wells per year

Over the last three full years drillers reported about 166 new home wells a year; the peak was 190 in 2018.

Home wells reported per year in the North Texas GCDFrom 2002 to 2026. The table below has every year.0501001502002002: 532003: 1482004: 17920042005: 1452006: 1892007: 1492008: 12620082009: 1252010: 892011: 872012: 11420122013: 1152014: 1342015: 1212016: 12920162017: 1332018: 1902019: 1442020: 15520202021: 1812022: 1462023: 1562024: 18820242025: 1552026: 114
Domestic wells with a depth, by the year they were finished. 2026 is still in progress.
Show the data table
YearWells
200253
2003148
2004179
2005145
2006189
2007149
2008126
2009125
201089
201187
2012114
2013115
2014134
2015121
2016129
2017133
2018190
2019144
2020155
2021181
2022146
2023156
2024188
2025155
2026114

Which formation the wells draw from

Nearly all (86%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation; by depth, roughly 73% fall in its upper part and 13% in its lower part, an approximate split.

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Upper TrinityPaluxy and Glen Rose73%1,153420–540
Lower TrinityTwin Mountains and Travis Peak13%199460–620
Woodbine9%142200–810
At or just below the base of the WoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg5%72180–405
Near or below the base of the Trinity<1%7275–590
Above the Woodbine<1%5320–420

For 96% of these wells the report says where the water enters (the screen or the open hole), and we use the middle of that interval.

Places with the most wells in the district

PlaceMedian depth (ft)Middle half (ft)WellsMain layer
Denton522480–700310Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)
Ponder460420–500135Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)
Celina490400–770102Woodbine
Sanger450420–50098Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)
Northlake495440–54095Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)
Shady Shores240200–33085Woodbine
Highland Village220170–80081Woodbine
Flower Mound718220–80080Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)
Aubrey300231–80878Woodbine
Bartonville738309–80070Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)
Corinth738170–83066Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)
Argyle720675–76264Upper Trinity (Paluxy and Glen Rose)

Counties

Depth over time

Home well depth in the district has not changed meaningfully in 20 years: the median was 465 feet in 2003 to 2007 and 460 feet in 2021 to 2025 (a difference under 10% or within the margin of error).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–2005460548
2006–2010480678
2011–2015480571
2016–2020480751
2021–2025460826
2026500114

Embed this on your site

Districts, counties, reporters and agents can embed this summary, which updates itself every day. Copy and paste this code:

<iframe src="https://terrafunded.com/embed/wells/district/north-texas-groundwater-conservation-district" title="Water wells: North Texas Groundwater Conservation District" loading="lazy" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;height:430px;border:0"></iframe>

Or this one line, which keeps the height right by itself:

<script async src="https://terrafunded.com/vendor/subsurface-embed-v1.js" data-district="north-texas-groundwater-conservation-district"></script>

Free, under CC BY 4.0. We only ask that you keep the source link. Preview the widget

Common questions

How deep are wells in the North Texas GCD?

Home water wells inside the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District (Denton, Cooke and Collin counties, Texas) are typically 400 to 580 feet deep (median 478 ft, 1,578 wells drilled in the last 10 years).

Which formation do wells in the district draw from?

Nearly all (86%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation; by depth, roughly 73% fall in its upper part and 13% in its lower part, an approximate split.

What does a groundwater conservation district do?

In Texas, districts are the local authority over groundwater: they can require registration or permits for new wells, set spacing from other wells and property lines, and limit pumping. Each district writes its own rules, so ask the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District before drilling inside it.

What a well costs here

At the median depth for the district (478 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $14,500 to $35,000: $25 to $60 per foot for drilling, casing and seal, plus $2,500 to $6,500 for the pump, pressure tank, controls and hookup at the well. Across the whole middle half of depths (400 to 580 feet) the range runs from $12,500 to $41,500. This is TerraFunded's estimate from published Texas prices, not a quote, and it leaves out trenching and the line to the house. Get prices from at least two licensed drillers.

How these numbers are made

We count new and replacement domestic (home) wells whose coordinates fall inside the district boundary. We use the last 10 years when there are at least 30 wells; otherwise all since 2001. The median is the middle well and the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile.

To tell which layer a well draws from, we take the ground elevation at its location, subtract the depth of the interval where water enters (or the bottom of the hole when the report does not give one) and see which layer of the state's model that point falls in.

For 96% of these wells the report says where the water enters (the screen or the open hole), and we use the middle of that interval.

How well it works: In 7,977 wells in the area of the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (North and Central Texas) where the State of Texas recorded the aquifer, our estimate of the formation the well draws from names the same layer of the state's model in about 74% of them, and that layer or the one next to it in at least 95%; among the 3,130 of those wells that the state places in a Trinity layer (Paluxy to Hosston) it is about 56%.

  • The layers come from the Texas Water Development Board's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model, with quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles. It is a regional model, not a survey of any lot: between one model point and the next, the real depth of each layer can differ.
  • In this model every layer is at least 30 feet thick, even where the real rock is thinner or missing. Thin layers and the edges of the model are approximate.
  • Inside the Trinity this atlas does not name single model layers: it groups the Paluxy and Glen Rose (upper Trinity) and groups the Hensell, Pearsall and Hosston (lower Trinity, Twin Mountains and Travis Peak), because the check against the state's codes shows the method cannot separate them reliably.
  • In this area, north and west of Fort Worth, the state maps the Trinity as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation. The model cuts it into layers by depth; the split between upper and lower Trinity shown here is approximate, and the depth ranges are the solid part.
  • "Near or below the base of the Trinity" means the well reaches the bottom of the model or passes it, often by tens of feet. Older rock that the model does not include may lie there.
  • We never use the model's water levels. The water level on this page is the one each driller measured when the well was finished.

These are depths of real wells drilled nearby, not a promise about any property. Groundwater can change over short distances and with drought. A licensed water well driller can tell you what to expect on a specific tract.

Read the full methodology · Download the data (CSV, CC BY 4.0)

How to cite

TerraFunded (2026). Texas Well Atlas: Underground. From Texas Water Development Board driller reports and groundwater availability models (data as of November 10, 2026). https://terrafunded.com/wells/districts/north-texas-groundwater-conservation-district. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources