Editorial policy

Every number has a source

Every cost and depth figure on the site is tied to a named source and links to the Sources list at the bottom of its page. A figure with no source does not get published. Sources fall into three classes, and each page labels which one a figure comes from:

• Records: well completion reports filed with a state agency. We report how many reports, which years, and which agency.
• Rates: published driller and installer prices, state program unit rates and state contracts. We report the publisher and the year.
• Model: our estimate, which combines records and rates. It is always shown as a low, typical and high range, never as one figure.

The full method is on the methodology page.

Rounding and thin data

We round to the precision the data supports: county depths to the nearest 10 feet, dollar estimates to the nearest hundred dollars, per-foot rates to the nearest dollar. A county with fewer than 30 reports is marked on the page, and the estimate falls back to the state figure. A state with no usable records shows a notice and uses the national depth figure, and the page says so.

Other published estimates

Cost figures from other websites are never blended into ours. Where we mention them, they are labeled as another publisher's estimate and attributed by name.

Updates and corrections

Each page shows the date it was last changed. We review rate bands at least once a year and reload state records when an agency publishes a new export. When a reader reports an error and the source confirms it, we fix the page and update its date. To report one, use the contact page. For the national figures, see well drilling costs.

Reviews and credentials

No page carries a "reviewed by" line, because no licensed driller or hydrogeologist reviews the content today. If one does in future, we will name them on the about page and on each page they review, with their license number and a link to the license record.