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How deep are water wells in Hillsboro, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Hillsboro, Texas are consistently 216 to 240 feet deep (median 220 ft, 30 wells reported since 2001). No single layer dominates: 50% end at or just below the base of the Woodbine (Washita and Fredericksburg groups) and 47% draw from the Woodbine Aquifer, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $8,000 to $19,500.

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 pointHill County
What is under Hillsboro, TexasUnderground column at the center of Hillsboro: median well 220 ft, middle half 216 to 240 ft, water at 105 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 176 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 176 to 297 ftWoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg: 297 to 885 ftWashita and Frederick…continues to 1,906 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 637 ft above sea levelMedian well: 220 ftWater standing in the well from 105 ftWater level105 ftMiddle half216–240 ftMedian well220 ft

Under Hillsboro, Hill County

Layers at the center of Hillsboro 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 30 real wells.

Home wells in and around Hillsboro

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: Hillsboro and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
216 to 240 feet
Median depth
220 feet
Deepest 10% are past
342 feet
Water level (median)
105 feet
23 wells
Yield (median)
15 gpm
21 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
30
Since 2001
Inside the city limits
0
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
30
median 220 ft, since 2004
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 105 feet below the surface (23 wells).

What is under Hillsboro, TexasUnderground column at the center of Hillsboro: median well 220 ft, middle half 216 to 240 ft, water at 105 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 176 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 176 to 297 ftWoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg: 297 to 885 ftWashita and Frederick…continues to 1,906 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 637 ft above sea levelMedian well: 220 ftWater standing in the well from 105 ftWater level105 ftMiddle half216–240 ftMedian well220 ft
Layers at the center of Hillsboro 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 30 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Hillsboro draw from?

No single layer dominates: 50% end at or just below the base of the Woodbine (Washita and Fredericksburg groups) and 47% draw from the Woodbine Aquifer, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB).

Going by the bottom of the hole instead of where the water enters, 83% end at or just below the base of the Woodbine (Washita and Fredericksburg groups).

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
At or just below the base of the WoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg50%15210–232
Woodbine47%14216–240
Above the Woodbine3%1—

For 80% of these wells the report says where the water enters and we use the middle of that interval; for the rest we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer too deep.

The layers under the center of Hillsboro

From the state's model, at 637 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 marl0176176
Woodbinesandstone with shale176297120
Washita and Fredericksburglimestone, marl and clay297885589
Upper Trinitysandstone, limestone and marl8851,517632
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone1,5171,906389

Depth over time

Too few wells per period in and around Hillsboro to compare depth over time. Since 2004, 30 home wells have been reported, with a median of 220 feet.

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–2005under 10 wells2
2006–2010under 10 wells4
2016–2020under 10 wells6
2021–202522016
2026under 10 wells2

What a well costs in Hillsboro

At the median depth for Hillsboro (220 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $8,000 to $19,500: $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 (216 to 240 feet) the range runs from $8,000 to $21,000. 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 Hillsboro, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Hillsboro, Texas are consistently 216 to 240 feet deep (median 220 ft, 30 wells reported since 2001). One in ten goes past 342 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 Hillsboro draw from?

No single layer dominates: 50% end at or just below the base of the Woodbine (Washita and Fredericksburg groups) and 47% draw from the Woodbine Aquifer, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). This is an estimate from the state's regional model, not a survey of the lot.

How much does a water well cost in Hillsboro?

At the median depth (220 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $8,000 to $19,500, 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 Hillsboro?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 105 feet below the surface (23 wells). The level moves with drought and from one well to the next.

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

Hillsboro is inside the Prairielands 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 80% of these wells the report says where the water enters and we use the middle of that interval; for the rest we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer too deep.

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.
  • "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/hillsboro-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources