You are the water utility
Private wells in Texas have no regulator checking the water. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension puts it plainly: landowners are responsible for managing the drinking water from their own wells.
Water can look and taste fine and still carry bacteria or nitrate, so testing is the only way to know.
What and when to test
AgriLife recommends testing at least once a year for nitrate, total dissolved solids (salinity) and E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria. Test again whenever color, taste or odor changes, after pump or well work, after flooding, and if anyone drinking the water gets a suspicious illness.
- Annually: E. coli / coliform bacteria, nitrate, total dissolved solids
- As needed: arsenic, pH, hardness, iron and metals depending on your area
- Nitrate above 10 ppm is considered unsafe to drink — infants and young livestock are most at risk
Low-cost screening first
The Texas Well Owner Network and county AgriLife offices run periodic screenings for a small fee, and TCEQ publishes a list of accredited labs. A mail-in kit is the convenient option when no screening is scheduled near you or you need a broader panel.
Treat to the test, not the sales pitch
Buy treatment only after you have lab results. Hardness calls for a softener, bacteria for disinfection (shock chlorination or UV), and iron, sulfur or sediment for specific filtration. A licensed well driller or pump installer can also check whether the problem is the well itself — a cracked casing or poor seal — rather than the aquifer.