Abandoned and/or deteriorated wells serve as direct conduits to your groundwater or aquifer. The
contamination can affect water wells in the area including those used for drinking water. An example
of the dangers of abandoned wells can be seen below - a horse that fell into an uncovered, open,
abandoned and deteriorated hand-dug water well. Luckily, the horse survived!
Abandoned and deteriorated wells are a hazard to human and animal life, as well as to the
groundwater!
Usually you will find plastic, steel, brick or concrete casing (pipe), extending above ground
(pictures 1, 3 and 6) or a hole in the ground
with no apparent bottom (pictures 2 and 5). Some abandoned wells
have cement or brick casing extending above ground. Those wells are usually called large diameter or
hand dug (picture 4) wells. Below are some examples of abandoned wells:
Picture 1. Abandoned well with casing and pumpPicture 2. Abandoned well open hole
Picture 3. Abandoned well PVC casing. No
annular
cement or surface completion
Picture 4. Large Diameter/Hand Dug Abandoned WellPicture 5. Abandoned well covered with plywoodPicture 6. Capped abandoned well with deteriorated casing
Reporting an Abandoned Well
If you have determined that an abandoned well exists, and you wish to add it to the official
database of abandoned wells, please see the
Abandoned Well Reporting webpage.
Plugging a Well
The landowner of record is responsible for plugging or bringing an abandoned or deteriorated well
into compliance.
Large-diameter, as well as drilled wells must be non-deteriorated and capped with a covering capable
of both preventing surface pollutants from entering the well and sustaining weight of at least four
hundred (400) pounds. The covering must be constructed in such a way that it cannot be easily
removed by hand.
You may not place a cover over a large diameter well.
State plugging specifications require that you remove all removable casing. You must attempt to pull
the casing. Depending on the circumstances, if the casing cannot be pulled, it is required to cut
the casing off as far below ground level as possible and plug the well from the bottom to the top.
Although the specifications require the well to be cemented to the surface, allowances are made to
stop the cement plug up to 4 feet below ground level (plow depth).
Reporting Plugged Wells
You need to submit a plugging report within 30 days from the date the well was plugged.
You may
submit the Plugging Report online.
To submit the report online you must have the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. You must
determine the latitude and longitude of the well. You can accomplish this by utilizing a hand-held
GPS unit or by using a mapping website such as
Maptech.com,
Terraserver.com or
Google Earth.
Alternatively, you can submit a report by mail by completing a
Plugging Report Form (PDF) and sending it to:
TDLR
Water Well Driller/Pump Installer Program
PO Box 12157
Austin, TX 78711
Also mail a copy to your local Groundwater Conservation District, if applicable. The Texas Water
Development Board has a
map of conservation districts (PDF)
that you can check.
The Texas Natural Resource Information Services (TNRIS) maintains grid maps. The TNRIS phone number
is (512) 463-8773.
Reporting Procedures for Landowners
Texas law allows landowners to drill or plug water wells on their own property. After successful
user account creation and login to TWRSRS, select "Drillers List" from the left menu and click the
“Associate Driller” button. On the next page, enter "License Number 10000" and the corresponding PIN
(contact TDLR Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers Program
to obtain PIN). After the initial association, the user account automatically displays the
corresponding reports for each individual landowner on every login.
