Abandoned water wells increase the risk of contamination to groundwater, Lesikar said. We dump trash into them, spray chemicals over them and for the most part pretend they don't exist. However, that's an attitude that's illegal in Texas. Texas law makes landowners responsible for plugging abandoned wells and liable for any resulting contamination or injury. A well is considered abandoned if it has not been used for six consecutive months and is unusable because it is deteriorated, Lesikar said.
Water wells come in all different shapes and sizes.
Many times, these wells remained long after the residence was gone. A casing is placed down the drilled hole to access the groundwater below. A functioning water well serves as a channel for bringing groundwater to the surface. An abandoned well, likewise, serves as funnel for carrying contaminants from the surface to the groundwater below. A water well also may pass through two different aquifers and have a deteriorated well casing that allows water from two different aquifers to mix.