Education
Want to know more about groundwater? Below are some educational tools and websites to help you learn more about conserving groundwater.
Frequently Asked Questions
Well Owner
Q: Why do I need to register my water well?
Well registration provides the District with data needed to preserve and protect groundwater resources for current and future uses. All wells drilled after October 1, 2010, must be registered – those exempt from permitting as well as those subject to permitting. Exempt wells drilled prior to October 1, 2010, are encouraged to register at no cost so the District can protect that well with spacing regulations.
Q: What is the difference between an exempt and non-exempt well?
An exempt well is a well that is not a public water supply well and not capable of producing more than 17.36 gallons per minute or is used solely for domestic, livestock, poultry, or agricultural purposes. An exempt well is exempt from permitting and is not required to have a Grandfathered Use Permit or Operating Permit to withdraw water from an aquifer within the District. If you are unsure whether your well is exempt, please contact the District staff, we can assist.
A non-exempt well is a well capable of producing more than 17.36 gallons per minute, and must submit semi-annual water well production reports to the District at a rate of $0.155 per 1,000 gallons.
The District has grandfathered use permits and production permits.
Grandfathered wells that were completed and operational prior to December 17, 2018 and that are not exempt from the District’s permitting requirements may complete this application for a Grandfathered Use Permit from the District if the following conditions are met: (1) The water well produced groundwater at any time from January 1, 2014 to December 17, 2018; and (2) the owner submits an application and accompanying documents to the District on or before December 31, 2023.
All new wells that are not exempt from the District’s permitting requirements and all new or existing wells that were exempt from the District’s permitting requirements, but are substantially altered in a manner that causes the well to lose its exempt status must obtain an Operating Permit from the District.
Q: How do I register my water well?
An existing well application can be found on our Forms & Documents page for Existing Well Applications. There are no fees for registering an existing well.
A new well application can be found here. There is a $500 well registration fee for new wells, as well as a $200 drillers’ deposit. The owner and driller of a new well are jointly responsible for ensuring that a well registration required by this section is timely filed with the District.
Q: I recently purchased a property with a well, what next?
If you recently purchased a property with a well, information can be obtained from your well driller or from the documentation from the sale of the property. Since 1966, licensed water well drillers have been required to submit well reports that include well location, depth, and construction; water level; local geology; names of driller and original owner.
You can also find information from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (www.license.state.tx.us), the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (www.tceq.state.tx.us) or the Texas Water Development Board (www.twdb.texas.gov).
Q: What is a well permit?
In addition to well registration, well registration fee, and well report deposit requirements in Rules 3.2, 3.4 and 6.6, the owner of a well or well system not exempt from the permitting requirements under Rule 2.1 and that is completed and operational after December 17, 2018 must obtain an Operating Permit from the District prior to drilling, construction or operating of the nonexempt well or well system.
Non-exempt well owners are required to install meters on each non-exempt well and report the amount of groundwater pumped each month to the District on a well permit. A well permit can be applied for and filed with the District on forms designated by the District, which can be found here.
Wells subject to permitting are all public supply wells or are capable of producing more than 17.36 gpm with the proper spacing, individually, or as a system, and are used for any purpose other than domestic, livestock, poultry, or agricultural use.
Q: What is a well application?
A well application for exempt and non-exempt wells can be applied for and filed with the District on forms designated by the District, which can be found here.
District approval of a registration application may not automatically grant the registrant the authority to drill, complete, or operate a well under another governmental entity’s rules or regulations. The registrant should refer to the rules and regulations of other governmental entities with jurisdiction over the drilling and operation of water wells at the location specified on the District registration application, including but not limited to, the county, the city, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and/or the TCEQ, where applicable, to determine whether there are any other requirements or prohibitions in addition to those of the District that apply to the drilling and operation of water wells.
Q: Should I test the water quality in my water well? If so, where can I test my water quality?
It is recommended by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to test your water well each year. It is recommended that you sample the well water and have it analyzed for fecal coliform, nitrates, and total dissolved solids (TDS) once annually or any time you notice a change in color, taste, or smell of the water or after pump or well maintenance. Be sure to ask lab officials for instructions on sampling and shipping procedures as some analyses require specific protocol.
Testing should be performed by an accredited lab. Contact Tarrant County for more information on how to retrieve a water well test here.
Q: I have a non-exempt well. How often do I need to report its usage?
District rules require owners of non-exempt wells to report groundwater production no later than January 31st and July 31st for the previous 6-month periods each calendar year.
Drillers
Q: How long do I have to submit a well report?
A person who drilled, deepened, completed or otherwise altered a well shall, within 60 days after the date the well is completed, file a well report.
For a well that is plugged, a driller, licensed pump installer, or well owner who plugs the well shall submit a plugging report to the District within 30 days.
Q: What are the spacing requirements for new water wells?
All water wells must comply with the following minimum spacing requirements:
- <20 gpm 200 ft
- 20-39 gpm 600 ft
- 40-59 gpm 1000 ft
- 60-79 gpm 1400 ft
- 80-99 gpm 1800 ft
- 100 or more 2500 ft
All wells must be completed in accordance with the well completion standards set forth under the Texas Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers Administrative Rules, Title 16, Part 4, Chapter 76, Texas Administrative Code, and under these Rules, and must be completed in compliance with applicable rules and regulations of other political subdivisions.
General
Q: Who regulates groundwater in Texas?
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is the state agency charged with managing water resources for the future of Texas. The Board “provides leadership, planning, financial assistance, information, and education for the conservation and responsible development of water for Texas”.
Groundwater planning and management takes place on a smaller, local scale as well. Under the provision of Chapter 36, Texas Water Code, groundwater conservation districts (GCD) have the authority to regulate the spacing of water wells, the production from water wells, or both. A total of 174 counties are either fully or partially within a groundwater conservation district.
Q: Why was Northern Trinity GCD created?
The Northern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District was created in 2007 by the 80th Texas Legislature in order to conserve, preserve, protect, and prevent waste of the groundwater resources of Tarrant County, Texas, and to promote recharge of the aquifers within Tarrant County.
Q: Where is Northern Trinity GCD located?
The Northern Trinity GCD is located in Tarrant County, Texas.
It covers 863.42 square miles above the Trinity and Woodbine aquifers. The District has four precincts, each with a corresponding board member.
Q: How is Northern Trinity GCD funded?
The District is funded through fees that are authorized in its enabling legislation.
Fees include:
Water Well Registration Fee: $500
Well Report Deposit: $200 per well
Groundwater Use Fee: $0.155 per 1,000 gallons of water pumped
Groundwater Transport Fee: $0.2325 on groundwater transported outside of the District
Realtors
Q: Do water wells need to be disclosed?
Yes, House Bill 1221 requires sellers of residential real estate to disclose whether any part of a property is in a groundwater conservation district (GCD) or subsidence district. The law affects all transfers taking place January 1, 2016 or later. Therefore, if you have prior knowledge of a water well on your property, it needs to be disclosed.
However, while this law officially incorporates groundwater as an important component of real property, the law expressly states that it does not apply “unless the seller has actual knowledge on the date of the notice that the real property is located” in a GCD and does not “create any duty for any person to investigate to determine if the residential real property is located” in a GCD.
If you or your client intend to drill a new water well or operate an existing water well on newly acquired land in Tarrant County, the proposed and/or existing well is subject to NTGCD’s rules.
Q: How does a homeowner get information on a water well on their property?
There are a number of resources to get information about the location, testing and maintenance, or registration of a water well.
Since 1966, licensed water well drillers have been required to submit well reports that include well location, depth, and construction; water level; local geology; names of driller and original owner to the State of Texas.
Reports for wells drilled from 1966 until February 2001 can be accessed online at TCEQ Water Well Report Viewer
Well reports from February 2001 and later can be found in the Texas Well Report Submission and Retrieval System.
In some cases, your client may be able to contact the individual who constructed the well or may be able to find more information by searching the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) well reports.
Q: How does your client determine if the private well will produce enough water for household needs?
Prospective homeowners can obtain information about the well depth, pump capacity, and other information from the seller/current homeowner’s maintenance records or obtain well construction information (also known as a well log, a water well record, or a drilling report) from state records.
Reports for wells drilled from 1966 until February 2001 can be accessed online at TCEQ Water Well Report Viewer
Well reports from February 2001 and later can be found in the Texas Well Report Submission and Retrieval System.
In some cases, your client may be able to contact the individual who constructed the well or may be able to find more information by searching the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) well reports.
Q: My client just purchased a home with a well. What next?
All real property in Tarrant County falls under the jurisdiction of the Northern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (NTGCD). NTGCD is a political subdivision of the State of Texas with responsibility to preserve, conserve and protect the groundwater resources of Tarrant County. Its statutory authority is defined in Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code.
If you or your client intend to drill a new water well or operate an existing water well on newly acquired land in Tarrant County, the proposed and/or existing well is subject to NTGCD’s rules.
In the case of change of ownership of real property that utilizes a registered well, the new property owner has 90 days to complete an Application for Transfer of Well Qwnership and submit to the District. There is no charge to transfer well ownership.
Note: Domestic wells existing before October 1, 2010 are voluntarily registered, therefore not all domestic wells are registered with the District. Any well drilled after October 1, 2010 is registered with the District.
Q: Does NTGCD collect taxes?
NTGCD does not assess taxes but is instead funded by a groundwater production fee for water produced from all non-exempt wells existing within Tarrant County. Wells used solely for domestic use (individual household wells) are not required to permit, meter, report or pay fees on the groundwater produced from the well.