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How deep are water wells in Little Elm, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Little Elm, Texas are typically 200 to 300 feet deep (median 260 ft, 53 wells drilled in the last 10 years). Nearly all draw from the Woodbine Aquifer (91%), according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $9,000 to $22,000.

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 pointDenton County
What is under Little Elm, TexasUnderground column at the center of Little Elm: median well 260 ft, middle half 200 to 300 ft, water at 133 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 44 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 44 to 377 ftWoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg: 377 to 897 ftWashita and Frederick…continues to 1,987 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 539 ft above sea levelMedian well: 260 ftWater standing in the well from 133 ftWater level133 ftMiddle half200–300 ftMedian well260 ft

Under Little Elm, Denton County

Layers at the center of Little Elm 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 53 real wells.

Home wells in and around Little Elm

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: Little Elm and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
200 to 300 feet
Median depth
260 feet
Deepest 10% are past
345 feet
Water level (median)
133 feet
29 wells
Yield (median)
17 gpm
41 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
53
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
13
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
169
median 260 ft, since 2001
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 133 feet below the surface (29 wells).

What is under Little Elm, TexasUnderground column at the center of Little Elm: median well 260 ft, middle half 200 to 300 ft, water at 133 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 44 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 44 to 377 ftWoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg: 377 to 897 ftWashita and Frederick…continues to 1,987 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 539 ft above sea levelMedian well: 260 ftWater standing in the well from 133 ftWater level133 ftMiddle half200–300 ftMedian well260 ft
Layers at the center of Little Elm 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 53 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Little Elm draw from?

Nearly all draw from the Woodbine Aquifer (91%), according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB).

Only 76% bottom out inside the Woodbine Aquifer: the rest keep going deeper but take their water from that layer.

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Woodbine91%48200–300
At or just below the base of the WoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg8%4—
Upper TrinityPaluxy and Glen Rose2%1—

For 93% 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 Little Elm

From the state's model, at 539 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 marl04444
Woodbinesandstone with shale44377333
Washita and Fredericksburglimestone, marl and clay377897520
Upper Trinitysandstone, limestone and marl8971,512615
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone1,5121,987475

Depth over time

There are not enough wells in both 2003 to 2007 and 2021 to 2025 (at least 30 in each) to say with confidence whether wells in and around Little Elm are getting deeper. For reference, the median was 230 feet in 2001 to 2005 (43 wells) and 260 feet in 2021 to 2025 (28 wells).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–200523043
2006–201028043
2011–201522025
2016–202028522
2021–202526028
2026under 10 wells8

What a well costs in Little Elm

At the median depth for Little Elm (260 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $9,000 to $22,000: $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 300 feet) the range runs from $7,500 to $24,500. 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 Little Elm, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Little Elm, Texas are typically 200 to 300 feet deep (median 260 ft, 53 wells drilled in the last 10 years). One in ten goes past 345 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 Little Elm draw from?

Nearly all draw from the Woodbine Aquifer (91%), 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 Little Elm?

At the median depth (260 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $9,000 to $22,000, 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 Little Elm?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 133 feet below the surface (29 wells). The level moves with drought and from one well to the next.

Do I need a permit to drill a well in Little Elm?

Little Elm is inside the North Texas 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 93% 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.
  • "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/little-elm-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources