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How deep are water wells in Decatur, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Decatur, Texas are typically 215 to 320 feet deep (median 250 ft, 345 wells drilled in the last 10 years). Nearly all (97%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation; by depth, roughly 61% fall in its upper part and 35% in its lower part, an approximate split. Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $9,000 to $21,500.

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 pointWise County
What is under Decatur, TexasUnderground column at the center of Decatur: median well 250 ft, middle half 215 to 320 ft, water at 90 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Upper Trinity: 0 to 271 ftUpper TrinityLower Trinity: 271 to 601 ftLower Trinitycontinues to 601 ft0100200300400500ftGround level · 1,022 ft above sea levelMedian well: 250 ftWater standing in the well from 90 ftWater level90 ftMiddle half215–320 ftMedian well250 ft

Under Decatur, Wise County

Layers at the center of Decatur 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 345 real wells.

Home wells in and around Decatur

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: Decatur and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
215 to 320 feet
Median depth
250 feet
Deepest 10% are past
400 feet
Water level (median)
90 feet
171 wells
Yield (median)
15 gpm
230 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
345
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
51
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
712
median 260 ft, since 2001
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 90 feet below the surface (171 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 160 feet of water.

What is under Decatur, TexasUnderground column at the center of Decatur: median well 250 ft, middle half 215 to 320 ft, water at 90 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Upper Trinity: 0 to 271 ftUpper TrinityLower Trinity: 271 to 601 ftLower Trinitycontinues to 601 ft0100200300400500ftGround level · 1,022 ft above sea levelMedian well: 250 ftWater standing in the well from 90 ftWater level90 ftMiddle half215–320 ftMedian well250 ft
Layers at the center of Decatur 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 345 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Decatur draw from?

Nearly all (97%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation; by depth, roughly 61% fall in its upper part and 35% in its lower part, an approximate split.

11% of the wells bottom out near or below the base of the Trinity in the model, often within tens of feet of it; older rock may lie there.

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Upper TrinityPaluxy and Glen Rose61%211200–260
Lower TrinityTwin Mountains and Travis Peak35%122280–400
Near or below the base of the Trinity4%12348–362

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 Decatur

From the state's model, at 1,022 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 marl0271271
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone271601329

Depth over time

Home well depth in and around Decatur has not changed meaningfully in 20 years: the median was 270 feet in 2003 to 2007 and 240 feet in 2021 to 2025 (a difference under 10% or within the margin of error).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–200528097
2006–2010330139
2011–2015280115
2016–2020260147
2021–2025240198
202628016

What a well costs in Decatur

At the median depth for Decatur (250 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $9,000 to $21,500: $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 (215 to 320 feet) the range runs from $8,000 to $25,500. 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.

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 Decatur, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Decatur, Texas are typically 215 to 320 feet deep (median 250 ft, 345 wells drilled in the last 10 years). One in ten goes past 400 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 Decatur draw from?

Nearly all (97%) draw from the Trinity, which the state maps here as one undivided unit, the Antlers Formation; by depth, roughly 61% fall in its upper part and 35% in its lower part, an approximate split. This is an estimate from the state's regional model, not a survey of the lot.

How much does a water well cost in Decatur?

At the median depth (250 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $9,000 to $21,500, 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 Decatur?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 90 feet below the surface (171 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 160 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 Decatur?

Decatur 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/decatur-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources