Clear steps for planning, drilling, and maintaining a private well for rural homes.
If your Hill Country lot doesn’t have reliable access to a public water system, a private well can provide excellent, long-term water independence—when it’s planned correctly. Start by validating feasibility. Study nearby well logs, confirm your groundwater conservation district (GCD) rules, and understand minimum setbacks from septic systems, property lines, and waterways. The Texas Groundwater Protection Committee’s homeowner resources at Texas Groundwater Protection Committee water wells outline siting, construction, and protection basics, while the Texas Water Development Board’s FAQ at TWDB groundwater FAQ provides plain-language answers about aquifers, yields, and testing. Define demand early. List fixtures, outdoor irrigation, livestock or pool plans, and peak-use scenarios. Your driller will use this to recommend target depth, pump size, and expected yield. Coordinate well position with your septic designer to maintain required separations and with your builder to protect future access for service trucks. On sloped or wooded sites, think ahead about trench paths for power and water lines; combining trenches with other utilities (with required separations) can reduce rock excavation and restoration costs. Finally, check for any HOA or subdivision rules governing visible tanks, fencing, and noise from pump houses or pressure systems. Getting these parameters in writing avoids design changes later.
A typical rural residential system includes the well (cased and grouted per rule), a submersible pump sized to projected demand, a pressure tank, and controls. Equipment placement matters. Pressure tanks do best on a small slab near the home or in a ventilated mechanical room to moderate temperature swings and simplify service. On large properties, secondary hose bibs or yard hydrants can be added strategically so you’re not dragging hoses long distances. Well construction is highly regulated for safety and water quality. Expect your licensed driller to set surface seals, grout the annulus, and comply with your GCD’s reporting. Confirm they provide a well log, pump model, and test results. Protect the wellhead with locking caps and maintain clear working space for future service. In wildfire-prone or brushy areas, keep vegetation trimmed and use noncombustible materials around the head. Where power outages are common, consider backup power for the pump or a small cistern to ride through short disruptions. For state well guidance, review TGPC’s rules and homeowner guidance: Texas water well guidance. Plan for freeze protection and drainage. Insulate above-grade lines, slope lines to avoid traps, and provide a gravel pad for hydrants to prevent muddy areas. If you plan rainwater collection as a supplement, coordinate roof planes, gutters, and tank placement now so the two systems coexist without conflicts. Good drawings pay off—ask your builder for an as-built map showing the well, trench routes, shutoffs, and electrical path.
Every well is unique, so test early and keep testing. At a minimum, new wells should be tested for bacteria (coliform, E. coli), hardness, iron, manganese, pH, and total dissolved solids (TDS). If you notice odors or staining, add hydrogen sulfide and additional metals to the panel. Share lab results with your builder and a water treatment specialist to size equipment correctly. Common Hill Country solutions include sediment filtration, carbon filters for taste/odor, water softeners for hardness, and—if needed—UV or chlorination for disinfection. For homeowner education, start with the Texas Well Owner Network at Texas Well Owner Network. Maintenance is straightforward with the right habits. Keep a binder with drilling logs, pump specs, wiring diagrams, and test results. Replace pressure tank bladders and switches per manufacturer schedules. Sanitize the system after pump or plumbing work and after floods. Inspect the wellhead after major storms and keep the surrounding grade sloped away to prevent ponding. If your home includes irrigation or livestock troughs, consider a separate filtration loop to extend filter life inside the house. Finally, think resilience: surge protection for pumps, a transfer switch for backup power, and a plan to bypass softening for outdoor spigots. With a data-driven approach and a builder who coordinates well, septic, and home systems from day one, your well will deliver clean, reliable water for decades.