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How deep are water wells in Bells, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Bells, Texas are typically 318 to 492 feet deep (median 392 ft, 40 wells reported since 2001). Nearly all are completed in the Woodbine Aquifer (93%), according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $12,500 to $30,000.

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

See the wells and layers at an exact pointGrayson County
What is under Bells, TexasUnderground column at the center of Bells: median well 392 ft, middle half 318 to 492 ft, water at 200 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 303 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 303 to 737 ftWoodbinecontinues to 2,209 ft0200400600ftGround level · 693 ft above sea levelMedian well: 392 ftWater standing in the well from 200 ftWater level200 ftMiddle half318–492 ftMedian well392 ft

Under Bells, Grayson County

Layers at the center of Bells from TWDB's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 40 real wells.

Home wells in and around Bells

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+

Dashed line: Bells and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
318 to 492 feet
Median depth
392 feet
Deepest 10% are past
537 feet
Water level (median)
200 feet
31 wells
Yield (median)
20 gpm
38 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
40
Since 2001
Inside the city limits
2
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
40
median 392 ft, since 2003
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 200 feet below the surface (31 wells).

What is under Bells, TexasUnderground column at the center of Bells: median well 392 ft, middle half 318 to 492 ft, water at 200 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 303 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 303 to 737 ftWoodbinecontinues to 2,209 ft0200400600ftGround level · 693 ft above sea levelMedian well: 392 ftWater standing in the well from 200 ftWater level200 ftMiddle half318–492 ftMedian well392 ft
Layers at the center of Bells from TWDB's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 40 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Bells draw from?

Nearly all are completed in the Woodbine Aquifer (93%), according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Here the state maps the Trinity as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation, so that split between layers is approximate.

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Woodbine93%37310–475
At or just below the base of the WoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg5%2—
Upper TrinityPaluxy and Glen Rose3%1—

Only 58% of these wells have the water-bearing interval on their report (reports before about 2012 rarely do). For the others we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer deeper than where the water actually comes from.

The layers under the center of Bells

From the state's model, at 693 feet above sea level. These are the model's depths at that one point, not those of any particular lot.

Depths in feet below ground.
Layer (state's model)Top (ft)Bottom (ft)Thickness (ft)
Above the Woodbineshale, chalk and marl0303303
Woodbinesandstone with shale303737434
Washita and Fredericksburglimestone, marl and clay7371,277540
Upper Trinitysandstone, limestone and marl1,2771,839562
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone1,8392,209370

Depth over time

Too few wells per period in and around Bells to compare depth over time. Since 2003, 40 home wells have been reported, with a median of 392 feet.

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–2005under 10 wells3
2006–2010under 10 wells6
2011–2015under 10 wells6
2016–202043514
2021–2025under 10 wells9
2026under 10 wells2

What a well costs in Bells

At the median depth for Bells (392 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $12,500 to $30,000: $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 (318 to 492 feet) the range runs from $10,500 to $36,000. 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.

Where it sits

Nearby places

Median depth of home wells in each place.

All Texas cities and towns

Common questions

How deep do you have to drill a well in Bells, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Bells, Texas are typically 318 to 492 feet deep (median 392 ft, 40 wells reported since 2001). One in ten goes past 537 feet. The depth a given tract needs depends on where it sits and what layers the driller hits.

What aquifer or formation do wells in Bells draw from?

Nearly all are completed in the Woodbine Aquifer (93%), according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Here the state maps the Trinity as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation, so that split between layers is approximate. This is an estimate from the state's regional model, not a survey of the lot.

How much does a water well cost in Bells?

At the median depth (392 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $12,500 to $30,000, by TerraFunded's estimate from published Texas driller prices. The real price comes from a licensed driller's quote.

How deep is the water in Bells?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 200 feet below the surface (31 wells). The level moves with drought and from one well to the next.

Do I need a permit to drill a well in Bells?

Bells is inside the Red River Groundwater Conservation District. Groundwater conservation districts in Texas can require registering or permitting a new well, keeping set distances from property lines and other wells, and paying fees. Rules differ from district to district: ask the district before drilling.

How these numbers are made

We count new and replacement domestic (home) wells whose coordinates fall inside the place boundary or within 2 miles of it. 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.

Only 58% of these wells have the water-bearing interval on their report (reports before about 2012 rarely do). For the others we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer deeper than where the water actually comes from.

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/places/bells-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources