Skip to content
ENES
Marketplace

How deep are water wells in Lubbock, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Lubbock, Texas are typically 150 to 181 feet deep (median 165 ft, 2,063 wells drilled in the last 10 years). Most draw from the Ogallala Aquifer (78%), and 21% draw from the Edwards-Trinity (High Plains) Aquifer, according to the state's High Plains Aquifer System model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $6,500 to $16,500.

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 pointLubbock County
What is under Lubbock, TexasUnderground column at the center of Lubbock: median well 165 ft, middle half 150 to 181 ft, water at 114 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Ogallala: 0 to 135 ftOgallalaEdwards-Trinity (High Plains): 135 to 237 ftEdwards-Trinity (High…Dockum: 237 to 1,479 ftDockumcontinues to 1,479 ft050100150200250ftGround level · 3,240 ft above sea levelMedian well: 165 ftWater standing in the well from 114 ftWater level114 ftMiddle half150–181 ftMedian well165 ft

Under Lubbock, Lubbock County

Layers at the center of Lubbock from TWDB's High Plains Aquifer System model (half mile cells, read here on a grid of about 1.2 by 1.4 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 2,063 real wells.

Home wells in and around Lubbock

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: Lubbock and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
150 to 181 feet
Median depth
165 feet
Deepest 10% are past
202 feet
Water level (median)
114 feet
603 wells
Yield (median)
15 gpm
51 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
2,063
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
1,379
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
5,015
median 162 ft, since 2001
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 114 feet below the surface (603 wells).

What is under Lubbock, TexasUnderground column at the center of Lubbock: median well 165 ft, middle half 150 to 181 ft, water at 114 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Ogallala: 0 to 135 ftOgallalaEdwards-Trinity (High Plains): 135 to 237 ftEdwards-Trinity (High…Dockum: 237 to 1,479 ftDockumcontinues to 1,479 ft050100150200250ftGround level · 3,240 ft above sea levelMedian well: 165 ftWater standing in the well from 114 ftWater level114 ftMiddle half150–181 ftMedian well165 ft
Layers at the center of Lubbock from TWDB's High Plains Aquifer System model (half mile cells, read here on a grid of about 1.2 by 1.4 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 2,063 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Lubbock draw from?

Most draw from the Ogallala Aquifer (78%), and 21% draw from the Edwards-Trinity (High Plains) Aquifer, according to the state's High Plains Aquifer System model (TWDB).

The bottom of the hole tells a different story: 72% reach the Edwards-Trinity (High Plains) Aquifer, although only 21% take their water from it. Many drillers go past the producing layer to leave a reserve.

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Ogallala78%1,617147–177
Edwards-Trinity (High Plains)21%426170–185
Dockumat or just below the base of the Ogallala1%20188–204

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 Lubbock

From the state's model, at 3,240 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)
Ogallalasand, gravel, silt and caliche0135135
Edwards-Trinity (High Plains)sand, sandstone and limestone135237102
Dockumred mudstone, sandstone and conglomerate2371,4791,242

Depth over time

Home well depth in and around Lubbock has not changed meaningfully in 20 years: the median was 160 feet in 2003 to 2007 and 162 feet in 2021 to 2025 (a difference under 10% or within the margin of error).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–2005160750
2006–2010162941
2011–20151591,107
2016–2020165952
2021–20251621,123
2026175142

What a well costs in Lubbock

At the median depth for Lubbock (165 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $6,500 to $16,500: $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 (150 to 181 feet) the range runs from $6,500 to $17,500. 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 Lubbock, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Lubbock, Texas are typically 150 to 181 feet deep (median 165 ft, 2,063 wells drilled in the last 10 years). One in ten goes past 202 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 Lubbock draw from?

Most draw from the Ogallala Aquifer (78%), and 21% draw from the Edwards-Trinity (High Plains) Aquifer, according to the state's High Plains Aquifer System 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 Lubbock?

At the median depth (165 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $6,500 to $16,500, 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 Lubbock?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 114 feet below the surface (603 wells). The level moves with drought and from one well to the next.

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

Lubbock is inside the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1. 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 22,814 wells in the Texas part of the state's High Plains Aquifer System model (the Panhandle, the South Plains and the Permian Basin) 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 75% of them; when it names the Dockum (4,542 wells), the state's record agrees only about 33% of the time, and most of the others are recorded as Ogallala wells.

  • The layers come from the Texas Water Development Board's High Plains Aquifer System model, with half mile cells, read here on a grid of about 1.2 by 1.4 miles. It is a regional model, not a survey of any lot.
  • The state's model has half mile cells; we read it on a grid of about 1.2 by 1.4 miles, Texas part only. Layers from version 1.01 (2015); the 2025 extension (1.02) did not change them. It is not a survey of any lot, so we give ranges.
  • Figures go by four groups: Ogallala; Pecos Valley; Edwards-Trinity and Rita Blanca (Cretaceous rock under the Ogallala; the Rita Blanca alone matched the state 19%); Dockum (upper and lower together: the state's codes almost never say which). The Edwards-Trinity group joins three aquifers in different places (High Plains around Lubbock, Plateau around Midland and Odessa, Rita Blanca in Dallam and Hartley): county and place pages name the local one where they can.
  • Dockum: when our method names the Dockum, the state's record agrees only 33% of the time over all years (61% for wells with a screened interval, which is 93% of home wells of the last 10 years); most of the rest are recorded as Ogallala wells. The median well we put in the Dockum ends about 18 ft under the base of the Ogallala as the model draws it. So these pages say "at or just below the base of the Ogallala, in the top of the Dockum", never a certain formation. The state's own 2025 report on this model says depth alone overstates the upper Dockum.
  • "Near or below the base" means the well ends near or below the base of the Dockum, or of the Ogallala where there is no Dockum (Permian red beds; Gray, Carson, Donley, Moore and north Potter counties). Half of these wells end within about 51 ft of the base, and the state usually records them as Ogallala or Dockum wells. That is not an error: the model simply ends there.
  • For old wells without a screened interval (bottom of the hole) the method is only a little better than always saying Ogallala (65% against 58%); with an interval it is 89% against 80%. Figures over all years carry that weakness; last 10 years figures rest almost entirely on intervals.
  • 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/lubbock-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources