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How deep are water wells in Shepherd, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Shepherd, Texas are typically 135 to 284 feet deep (median 184 ft, 68 wells drilled in the last 10 years). All the wells the model covers draw from the Chicot Aquifer, according to the state's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $7,000 to $17,500.

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 pointSan Jacinto County
What is under Shepherd, TexasUnderground column at the center of Shepherd: median well 184 ft, middle half 135 to 284 ft, water at 42 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Chicot: 0 to 522 ftChicotcontinues to 3,565 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 192 ft above sea levelMedian well: 184 ftWater standing in the well from 42 ftWater level42 ftMiddle half135–284 ftMedian well184 ft

Under Shepherd, San Jacinto County

Layers at the center of Shepherd 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 68 real wells.

Home wells in and around Shepherd

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: Shepherd and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
135 to 284 feet
Median depth
184 feet
Deepest 10% are past
376 feet
Water level (median)
42 feet
65 wells
Yield (median)
30 gpm
54 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
68
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
6
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
160
median 198 ft, since 2001
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 42 feet below the surface (65 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 142 feet of water.

What is under Shepherd, TexasUnderground column at the center of Shepherd: median well 184 ft, middle half 135 to 284 ft, water at 42 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Chicot: 0 to 522 ftChicotcontinues to 3,565 ft0100200300400ftGround level · 192 ft above sea levelMedian well: 184 ftWater standing in the well from 42 ftWater level42 ftMiddle half135–284 ftMedian well184 ft
Layers at the center of Shepherd 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 68 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Shepherd draw from?

All the wells the model covers draw from the Chicot Aquifer, according to the state's northern Gulf Coast Aquifer model (TWDB).

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Chicot100%68135–284

For 96% 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 Shepherd

From the state's model, at 192 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)
Chicotsand, silt and clay0522522
Evangelinesand and clay522686164
Jasper, Catahoula and Burkevillesand, sandstone, clay and volcanic tuff6863,5652,879

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 Shepherd are getting deeper. For reference, the median was 220 feet in 2001 to 2005 (18 wells) and 195 feet in 2021 to 2025 (38 wells).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–200522018
2006–201020230
2011–201521540
2016–202017426
2021–202519538
2026under 10 wells8

What a well costs in Shepherd

At the median depth for Shepherd (184 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $7,000 to $17,500: $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 (135 to 284 feet) the range runs from $6,000 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 Shepherd, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Shepherd, Texas are typically 135 to 284 feet deep (median 184 ft, 68 wells drilled in the last 10 years). One in ten goes past 376 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 Shepherd draw from?

All the wells the model covers draw from the Chicot Aquifer, 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 Shepherd?

At the median depth (184 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $7,000 to $17,500, 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 Shepherd?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 42 feet below the surface (65 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 142 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 Shepherd?

Shepherd 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 96% 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 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/shepherd-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources