5-acre minimum lots required for new wells in West Wise starting in 2027

The Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (UTGCD) board has approved new rules, effective January 1, 2027, that will significantly impact water well drilling in western Wise County, Texas, and adjacent portions of Montague, Parker, and Hood counties. The regulations increase the minimum acreage required for new water wells from two to five acres in areas where the Trinity aquifer is thin, and also double existing well-spacing requirements. For high-volume wells producing more than 150 gallons per minute, a new category mandates 4,000 feet of separation from other wells and 1,250 feet from property lines.

UTGCD General Manager Doug Shaw, who discussed the changes with Wise County Commissioners, stated that the new rules are a response to a rising number of wells and deteriorating groundwater conditions, particularly in Parker and Wise counties, which have some of the highest well-drilling rates. The district also implemented a 250,000-gallon-per-acre annual cap for commercial groundwater permits and will require additional review and aquifer testing for large-volume wells.

Wise County Judge J.D. Clark suggested that developers might now consider public water supplies or annexation into municipalities as alternatives to private wells. Shaw also addressed concerns regarding potential data center development, clarifying that any facility planning to use groundwater would be subject to the district’s stringent permitting and testing requirements. The UTGCD would perform impact analyses and could impose mitigation measures or reduce permitted pumping volumes if unreasonable impacts on the aquifer or surrounding wells were identified. Additionally, any landowner in the district could request a contested case hearing before the State Office of Administrative Hearings if a permit application is contentious.