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How deep are water wells in Livingston, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Livingston, Texas are typically 161 to 280 feet deep (median 220 ft, 74 wells drilled in the last 10 years). All the wells the model covers draw from the Jasper and Catahoula aquifers, with the Burkeville, according to the state's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer 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 pointPolk County
What is under Livingston, TexasUnderground column at the center of Livingston: median well 220 ft, middle half 161 to 280 ft, water at 59 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Jasper, Catahoula and Burkeville: 0 to 2,079 ftJasper, Catahoula and…continues to 2,079 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 198 ft above sea levelMedian well: 220 ftWater standing in the well from 59 ftWater level59 ftMiddle half161–280 ftMedian well220 ft

Under Livingston, Polk County

Layers at the center of Livingston from TWDB's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer model (cells of about 0.62 mile (1 km)), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 74 real wells.

Home wells in and around Livingston

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: Livingston and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
161 to 280 feet
Median depth
220 feet
Deepest 10% are past
328 feet
Water level (median)
59 feet
71 wells
Yield (median)
21 gpm
70 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
74
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
3
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
150
median 210 ft, since 2002
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 59 feet below the surface (71 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 161 feet of water.

What is under Livingston, TexasUnderground column at the center of Livingston: median well 220 ft, middle half 161 to 280 ft, water at 59 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Jasper, Catahoula and Burkeville: 0 to 2,079 ftJasper, Catahoula and…continues to 2,079 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 198 ft above sea levelMedian well: 220 ftWater standing in the well from 59 ftWater level59 ftMiddle half161–280 ftMedian well220 ft
Layers at the center of Livingston from TWDB's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer model (cells of about 0.62 mile (1 km)), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 74 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Livingston draw from?

All the wells the model covers draw from the Jasper and Catahoula aquifers, with the Burkeville, according to the state's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer model (TWDB).

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Jasper, Catahoula and Burkeville100%74161–280

For 84% 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 Livingston

From the state's model, at 198 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)
Jasper, Catahoula and Burkevillesand, sandstone, clay and volcanic tuff02,0792,079

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 Livingston are getting deeper. For reference, the median was 164 feet in 2001 to 2005 (12 wells) and 220 feet in 2021 to 2025 (41 wells).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–200516412
2006–201019030
2011–201523926
2016–202017633
2021–202522041
2026under 10 wells8

What a well costs in Livingston

At the median depth for Livingston (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 (161 to 280 feet) the range runs from $6,500 to $23,500. 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 Livingston, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Livingston, Texas are typically 161 to 280 feet deep (median 220 ft, 74 wells drilled in the last 10 years). One in ten goes past 328 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 Livingston draw from?

All the wells the model covers draw from the Jasper and Catahoula aquifers, with the Burkeville, according to the state's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer 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 Livingston?

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 Livingston?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 59 feet below the surface (71 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 161 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 Livingston?

Livingston is inside the Lower 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 84% 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 14,333 wells in the area of the state's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer model (Houston and Southeast Texas) where the State of Texas recorded the aquifer, the formation our method says the well draws from (as grouped on these pages) is the one the state recorded in about 83% of them, and that formation or the one next to it in at least 99%; of the 3,578 of those wells that the state records in the Evangeline, it names the Evangeline for about 51% and the Chicot for most of the rest.

  • The layers come from the Texas Water Development Board's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer model, with cells of about 0.62 mile (1 km). It is a regional model, not a survey of any lot.
  • The state's model has cells of about 3,277 ft (1 km, 0.62 mile); we read it on a grid of about 0.6 by 0.7 miles. It is not a survey of any lot, so we give ranges.
  • Figures go by three groups: Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper and Catahoula with the Burkeville. The state's records cannot tell the Burkeville, the Jasper and the Catahoula apart at a well (alone, the Burkeville matched 33% and the Catahoula 50%), so they are never named one by one as the formation of a well or a place.
  • The line between the Chicot and the Evangeline is drawn differently by different studies. The state's records put about half of their Evangeline wells in what the model draws as the Chicot, mostly deeper wells in Harris, Montgomery, Waller, Liberty and Austin counties. Where both appear, the split is approximate.
  • "Near or below the base" means the well ends near or below the base of the Gulf Coast Aquifer (under the Catahoula: Jackson Group, Yegua and older). It is 1.3% of home wells; half of them end within about 85 ft of the base. That is not an error: the model simply ends there.
  • The model's top layer is a uniform 49 ft slab for the water table zone, not a rock unit; we merge it into the unit beneath. The model also covers Colorado, Lavaca, Fayette, Wharton and Matagorda counties (outside Groundwater Management Area 14), with the same framework. Texas part only.
  • 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/livingston-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources