The Water Well Driller and Pump Installer Program establishes licensing and regulatory standards to protect groundwater resources in Texas. The program licenses qualified drillers and installers and enforces minimum standards for well construction, plugging, and pump installation. Standards address issues such as approved casing and screening materials, drilling fluids containment, annular seals, well location siting distances, and commingling prevention. Drillers must submit state well reports with construction details to TDLR and well owners within 60 days of completion. Variances can be granted for alternative completion methods that prevent pollution.

1. Presented by: Adam Foster
Hydrologist, TDLR
Tagd QuarTerly Meeting March 9, 2023

2. Water Well Driller and Pump Installer
Program (WWD/PI)
- Chapter 76 of the Texas Administrative Code
- Chapters 1901 and 1902 of the Texas Occupations Code
Groundwater Protection!!
License qualified drillers and pump installers
Establish and enforce MINIMUM well construction,
well plugging, and pump installation standards
Administration of the abandoned well notification
and enforcement program
Cooperation with state and federal agencies and local
governments

3. Annulus or
Annular Space
Filter Pack
Annular Seal
Well Screen
Well Casing
Well Cap
Pump
Surface Completion
Borehole
Water Well Terminology

4. Straight Wall
Open Hole Filter Packed Under-reamed
Types of Borehole Completion

5. 76.100(d)(2)
– Approved
Casing
Materials
Plastic – Minimum SDR 26 approved water well
casing;
Steel – New ASTM A-53 Grade or better, and
have a minimum weight and thickness of
schedule 10; or
Fiberglass – NSF-61 and ASTM D2996 approved
Filament Wound fiberglass casing.

6. Filter Pack and
Manufactured
Screen
76.78(a) - Unless waived by the landowner, a
licensee shall use a manufacturer’s well screen,
and select the correct slot size for the screen in
the installation of a domestic (household use) or
landscape irrigation water well to prevent sand
or sediment from entering the well.

8. Drilling
Fluids and
Cuttings
76.100(c)(3) - Each licensee shall use potable
water in drilling fluids.
76.100(c)(4) - Each licensed well driller drilling,
deepening, or altering a well shall keep any drilling
fluids, tailings, cuttings, or spoils contained in such
a manner so as to prevent spillage onto adjacent
property not under the jurisdiction or control of
the well owner without the adjacent property
owners’ written consent.
76.100(c)(5) - Each licensed well driller drilling,
deepening, or altering a well shall prevent the
spillage of any drilling fluids, tailings, cuttings, or
spoils into any body of surface water.

9. Min. 10’ of
annular cement
Min. 2’ of annular cement
on top of 8’ of bentonite
grout
Borehole 3’’
greater in
diameter than the
O.D. of the casing
MINIMUM ANNULAR SEAL
76.100(e)
Annular seal prevents surface
contaminants from entering the
well and stabilizes well casing

10. Water-Tight
Sewage and
Liquid-Waste
Collection Facility
Septic System
Adsorption Field
or Spray Area
Dry Litter Poultry
Facility
Concentrated
Source of Potential
Contamination
50’
150’
Well
Property
Line
50’
Well Location
Chapter 76.100(a) – Minimum Completion

11. Min. 100’ of annular
cement grout OR to
the top of the
production zone.
Min. 2’ of annular
cement on top of 98’
of bentonite grout OR
to the top of the
production zone
Borehole 3’’
greater in
diameter than the
O.D. of the casing
ALTERNATE ANNULAR SEAL - (100’) COMPLETION
**MUST BE PRESSURE GROUTED**
Pressure grouting methods include:
• Halliburton Method
• Tremie Line
• Grout Pump

12. Water-Tight
Sewage and
Liquid-Waste
Collection Facility
Septic System
Adsorption Field
or Spray Area
Dry Litter Poultry
Facility
Concentrated
Source of Potential
Contamination
50’
50’
Well
Property
Line
5’
Well Location
Chapter 76.100(b) – Alternative Siting Method

13. 76.100(a)(4) -
Exceptions To
Property Line
Distance
Requirements
A driller is not required to adhere to the property line
distance requirements if:
(A) The well is located within a groundwater conservation
district, and the district’s rules regulate the spacing of
wells;
(B) The well is located on property that has restrictions
regulating the spacing of wells and on-site sewage
systems; or
(C) Public wastewater treatment is provided and utilized
by the owner.

14. 76.100(c)(1)
Commingling All wells shall be completed so that
AQUIFERS OR ZONES containing
waters that differ in chemical quality
are not allowed to commingle
through the borehole casing annulus
or the filter pack and cause quality
degradation of any AQUIFER OR
ZONE. When AQUIFERS OR ZONES of
lesser quality are overlying the
production zone, the borehole
annulus shall be pressure grouted
with bentonite or cement from the
top of the production zone back to
the surface unless the formations
make total grouting impossible or
impractical. In this case the entire
borehole annulus which is groutable
shall be grouted and sealed including
proper surface annular grouting and
completion.

15. 76.100(f)(2-3)
Surface
Completion

16. 76.100(g)(1)
Alternate Surface
Completions

17. 76.100(g)(2) - Pitless Adapters

18. Injurious Water Overlying Fresh Water
76.101(c)(1-3)
Injurious Water Zone
Pressure grouted to
seal off injurious
water zone.
Production Zone

19. Fresh Water Overlying Injurious Water
76.101(c)(4)
Production Zone
Plug back to base
of production zone.
Injurious Water Zone

20. Completion Standards For Wells Producing Injurious Water
76.102
Fresh Water Zone
Pressure grouted
to seal off any
freshwater zones.
Injurious Water Zone

21. 76.70 –
State Well
Reports
Required Information:
Well Owner Name
Well Owner Address
Well Address
Well GPS
Well Construction Information
Drill Date
Proposed Use
Drilling Method
Borehole Data
Casing/Screen Data
Annular Seal Data
Surface Completion Type
Lithology
Setback Distances
Property Line
Septic Tank
Septic Field
Other Concentrated
Contamination
Drillers have 60 days
from well completion or
cessation of drilling* to
submit a well report to
the:
– TDLR
– Well owner
– GCD
*Cessation of drilling--
When the borehole has
been drilled to total depth
and casing has been
placed in the borehole.

22. 76.109 –
Variances
• Variances may be granted when a driller finds any
of the procedures prescribed by 76.100 - 76.105
inapplicable, unworkable, or inadequate.
• Combinations of the prescribed procedures or
alternative procedures may be employed,
provided that the proposed alternative
procedures will prevent injury and pollution.
• TDLR will not grant a variance based solely on
cost, aesthetics, or for a well head to be placed
below ground level.
• TDLR will grant “blanket” variances to GCDs for
well construction and well plugging standards for
wells located within the boundaries of the GCD.

23. Water Well Driller and Pump Installer Program
(WWD/PI)
David Gunn – Program Manager
Adam Foster – Hydrologist
Casey Stevens - Hydrologist
Regulatory Program Management – WWD
PO Box 12157
Austin, Texas 78711
Phone: 512-334-5540
Email: water.well@tdlr.texas.gov
Website: www.tdlr.texas.gov/wwd/wwd.htm