# Oil wells and Texas, etc. flooding
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 25, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754 "2015-10-25T22:47:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754/1 "2015-10-25T22:47:24Z")
Since I’m not a geologist, I’m curious: If some of the flood waters in Texas drained into oil wells, active or otherwise, would it help replenish the aquifer, and if so, how long and how much would it take to see effects?
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### Author:  [@Leonard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonard)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754/2 "2015-10-25T23:17:11Z")
Most wells are under pressure and flowing so nothing can really physically drain into them. Even wells that have to have the oil pumped out are under pressure at the bottom of the well, it’s just not quite enough to push the oil all the way up. Even if it did somehow get into the well, it would just flood it with fresh water and hinder oil production.
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### Author:  [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754/3 "2015-10-26T00:08:38Z")
Oil wells are specifically sealed off from the aquifer. There are areas in Texas where aquifers have been contaminated due to oil wells that were improperly contained.
Generally you don’t want surface water going directly into an aquifer to begin with, most water well designs are tapping into deep aquifers where surface water has to filter through substantial amounts of soil and bedrock. Surface water contains all types of contaminates that we’d rather not be drinking.
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2015, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-wells-and-texas-etc-flooding/735754/4 "2015-10-26T04:46:30Z")
That all makes sense. Thanks! I was just curious.
A creek runs by my house (no, I don’t live in an oil-producing region) and there’s no way I would want to drink any of that water.