The State of Texas has established minimum distance requirements for new wells.  These rules keep the groundwater safe from pollution, so it is important that we follow them.  Note that some groundwater districts and cities have rules that extend these distances.  Generally, all wells must be at least 50′ from neighboring property lines (you can get close to the street on a public roadway or easement), 50′ from septic tanks, 100′ from septic fields, and 150′ away from any other potential source of pollution (like a sewage treatment plant or a cemetery)

One big exception to these rules is if your neighborhood utilizes a sewage system, all wells need to be 50′ from the sewer lines (public and private) and only 5′ from property lines.  And these wells do not need to be pressure cemented to use these distances.

If you can’t meet the standard setback requirements, the State allows us to pressure cement the annulus of the casing (between the outside of the casing and the borehole wall).  If we cement 100′ down from the surface, then we can drill 5′ from property lines and 50′ from septic tanks and fields.  We call this a “pressure cemented well”.

If you can’t meet the pressure cemented setback requirements, the State does grant variances in most situations.  But they usually require pressure cementing the annulus of the casing from the production zone back to the surface.  A special variance must be obtained from the State in order to do this and they are not always allowed by the groundwater district or the city.

And you need to know that some groundwater districts have distance requirements that are greater than those from the State.  Furthermore, groundwater districts can set up construction standards that are more stringent than the State’s.

Note that these rules only apply to the location of the well head.  All other equipment can be installed wherever you want on your property.  Also, keep in mind that we will need access to the well head with our equipment for future servicing of the well.  So, drilling in the right spot the first time can save you in the long run.  Wells are very expensive to move.