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How deep are water wells in Carter, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Carter, Texas are typically 200 to 260 feet deep (median 240 ft, 553 wells drilled in the last 10 years). All (100%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation. New wells run about 20% deeper than 20 years ago (median 200 ft in 2003 to 2007, 240 ft in 2021 to 2025). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $8,500 to $21,000.

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 pointParker County
What is under Carter, TexasUnderground column at the center of Carter: median well 240 ft, middle half 200 to 260 ft, water at 100 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Upper Trinity: 0 to 403 ftUpper Trinitycontinues to 547 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 1,138 ft above sea levelMedian well: 240 ftWater standing in the well from 100 ftWater level100 ftMiddle half200–260 ftMedian well240 ft

Under Carter, Parker County

Layers at the center of Carter 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 553 real wells.

Home wells in and around Carter

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: Carter and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
200 to 260 feet
Median depth
240 feet
Deepest 10% are past
322 feet
Water level (median)
100 feet
252 wells
Yield (median)
15 gpm
412 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
553
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
257
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
788
median 220 ft, since 2002
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 100 feet below the surface (252 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 140 feet of water.

What is under Carter, TexasUnderground column at the center of Carter: median well 240 ft, middle half 200 to 260 ft, water at 100 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Upper Trinity: 0 to 403 ftUpper Trinitycontinues to 547 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 1,138 ft above sea levelMedian well: 240 ftWater standing in the well from 100 ftWater level100 ftMiddle half200–260 ftMedian well240 ft
Layers at the center of Carter 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 553 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Carter draw from?

All (100%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation.

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Upper TrinityPaluxy and Glen Rose97%537200–240
Lower TrinityTwin Mountains and Travis Peak3%16378–440

For 99% of these wells the report says where the water enters (the screen or the open hole), and we use the middle of that interval.

The layers under the center of Carter

From the state's model, at 1,138 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)
Upper Trinitysandstone, limestone and marl0403403
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone403547144

Depth over time

New home wells in and around Carter are deeper than 20 years ago: the median went from 200 feet (2003 to 2007) to 240 feet (2021 to 2025), 20% more. Deeper wells do not always mean the water dropped: a driller may be going for another layer, better water or more reserve.

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–200520055
2006–201020097
2011–201520048
2016–2020220242
2021–2025240283
202622063

What a well costs in Carter

At the median depth for Carter (240 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $8,500 to $21,000: $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 (200 to 260 feet) the range runs from $7,500 to $22,000. 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 Carter, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Carter, Texas are typically 200 to 260 feet deep (median 240 ft, 553 wells drilled in the last 10 years). One in ten goes past 322 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 Carter draw from?

All (100%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation. This is an estimate from the state's regional model, not a survey of the lot.

How much does a water well cost in Carter?

At the median depth (240 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $8,500 to $21,000, 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 Carter?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 100 feet below the surface (252 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 140 feet of water. The level moves with drought and from one well to the next.

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

Carter is inside the Upper Trinity 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.

For 99% 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/places/carter-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources