An important water well maintenance factor is to ensure your well is properly distanced from any buildings, waste systems, or chemicals. If you’ve been experiencing contamination issues with your well, inadequate separation from these buildings may be the issue.

This is a consideration that should have been made when your well was installed. However, if you’ve just moved to a home with a well, or you weren’t aware of this requirement before installing your well, you will need to remedy the problem during well maintenance.

General requirements for Texas when siting a new well:

• 50 feet from septic tank, cesspool, property boundary or non-potable water well. Groundwater conservation districts may require greater setback distances from property boundaries.
• 100 feet from septic drain field or leach field
• 150 feet from shelter or yard for livestock or pets; feed storage or pesticide and fertilizer storages
• 250 feet from manure stack or liquid waste disposal system

Speak to your local well contractor if you don’t think your well is properly separated from potential sources of pollution or contamination. For a new well permitting requirements may require different spacing.