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How deep are water wells in Waco, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Waco, Texas vary a lot in depth: the middle half are 80 to 335 feet deep (median 80 ft, 32 wells drilled in the last 10 years), so look at the wells closest to the tract. No single layer dominates: 47% draw from younger formations above the Woodbine, 28% from the Washita and Fredericksburg groups and 22% from the lower Trinity (Twin Mountains and Travis Peak), according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $4,500 to $11,500.

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 pointMcLennan County
What is under Waco, TexasUnderground column at the center of Waco: median well 80 ft, middle half 80 to 335 ft, water at 17 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 173 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 173 to 201 ftWashita and Fredericksburg: 201 to 887 ftWashita and Frederick…Upper Trinity: 887 to 1,556 ftUpper Trinitycontinues to 1,951 ft05001,0001,500ftGround level · 566 ft above sea levelMedian well: 80 ftWater standing in the well from 17 ftWater level17 ftMedian well80 ftMiddle half80–335 ft

Under Waco, McLennan County

Layers at the center of Waco 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 32 real wells.

Home wells in and around Waco

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: Waco and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
80 to 335 feet
Median depth
80 feet
Deepest 10% are past
1,256 feet
Water level (median)
17 feet
29 wells
Yield (median)
15 gpm
26 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
32
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
5
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
50
median 80 ft, since 2003
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 17 feet below the surface (29 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 63 feet of water.

What is under Waco, TexasUnderground column at the center of Waco: median well 80 ft, middle half 80 to 335 ft, water at 17 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 173 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 173 to 201 ftWashita and Fredericksburg: 201 to 887 ftWashita and Frederick…Upper Trinity: 887 to 1,556 ftUpper Trinitycontinues to 1,951 ft05001,0001,500ftGround level · 566 ft above sea levelMedian well: 80 ftWater standing in the well from 17 ftWater level17 ftMedian well80 ftMiddle half80–335 ft
Layers at the center of Waco 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 32 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Waco draw from?

No single layer dominates: 47% draw from younger formations above the Woodbine, 28% from the Washita and Fredericksburg groups and 22% from the lower Trinity (Twin Mountains and Travis Peak), according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB).

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Above the Woodbine47%1556–81
Washita and Fredericksburg28%980–100
Lower TrinityTwin Mountains and Travis Peak22%71,220–1,372
Upper TrinityPaluxy and Glen Rose3%1—

For 100% 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 Waco

From the state's model, at 566 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 marl0173173
Woodbinesandstone with shale17320128
Washita and Fredericksburglimestone, marl and clay201887686
Upper Trinitysandstone, limestone and marl8871,556669
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone1,5561,951395

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 Waco are getting deeper. For reference, the median was 97 feet in 2016 to 2020 (22 wells) and 80 feet in 2021 to 2025 (11 wells).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–2005under 10 wells3
2006–2010under 10 wells7
2011–2015under 10 wells7
2016–20209722
2021–20258011

What a well costs in Waco

At the median depth for Waco (80 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $4,500 to $11,500: $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 (80 to 335 feet) the range runs from $4,500 to $26,500. 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 Waco, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Waco, Texas vary a lot in depth: the middle half are 80 to 335 feet deep (median 80 ft, 32 wells drilled in the last 10 years), so look at the wells closest to the tract. One in ten goes past 1,256 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 Waco draw from?

No single layer dominates: 47% draw from younger formations above the Woodbine, 28% from the Washita and Fredericksburg groups and 22% from the lower Trinity (Twin Mountains and Travis Peak), 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 Waco?

At the median depth (80 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $4,500 to $11,500, 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 Waco?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 17 feet below the surface (29 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 63 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 Waco?

Waco is inside the Southern 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 100% 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/waco-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources