Senator César J. Blanco Announces Major Funding to Plug Leaking Water Wells in West Texas

Press Release Contact: Taylor Sanchez
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Taylor.sanchez@senate.texas.gov
May 27, 2025
Senator César J. Blanco Announces Major Funding to
Plug Leaking Water Wells in West Texas
Austin, Texas – Today, Senator César J. Blanco announced that $9.4 million has been secured in the
state budget for the Leaking Water Wells Fund, administered by the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Senator César J. Blanco sponsored HB4256 during the 88th
Legislative Session to create the Leaking Water Well Program.
The most notorious case is Lake Boehmer in Pecos County, where an abandoned water well has
created a lake that covers over 60 acres, is three times saltier than the ocean, and has sulfate levels
25 times higher than safe drinking water. TxDOT had to spend $30 million in Pecos County to
move a State Highway due to sinking caused by Lake Boehmer.
Senator César J. Blanco issued the following statement:
“This funding is a critical step forward for West Texas. For years, abandoned and leaking wells, like
the one that created Lake Boehmer, have posed a serious threat to our land, our water, and the
livelihoods of farmers and ranchers who call this region home. What started as an abandoned well in
Pecos County has grown into a 60-acre environmental hazard, eroding the ground beneath us and
costing taxpayers tens of millions.
“I was proud to help create the Leaking Water Well Program last session to give West Texans the
tools to clean up these hazards and prevent the next crisis before it starts. With this new funding, we
can keep plugging dangerous wells, protecting the land and water that sustain West Texas
communities and fuel our state's future.”