Researchers will test water and soil quality for the public next month to make sure it is safe for people who use well water in the Rio Grande Valley.

The testing comes as some residents and landowners in the Valley rely on private wells, and experts warn that activities on the surface can affect groundwater.

Aaron Alanis, a Santa Rosa rancher, said he uses rural water and relies on a pump to get water through his pipes and into his home.

He said his wife has complained that her hair is "a little harsher" because the water strips the oils out of her hair, and he said his well water is used as-is with no water treatment process.

Alanis said he last tested his well water within the last four years and believes it is safe.

"I think everyone should know what their water is looking like, especially with certain pockets of areas," Alanis said.

Samantha Colunga with the Texas Water Resources Institute at Texas A&M AgriLife in Weslaco said that in the Valley, all water drains to the Laguna Madre. Researchers are trying to reduce that environmental impact.

Colunga said that if people use well water at their houses or use their land for hay, pasture, or range, they should get involved.

"Everything that happens on the surface can eventually impact groundwater," Colunga said, " When we don't manage our land properly, it can impact not only our groundwater quality, but also our surface water quality."

Colunga and her team will hold a free event open to the public on June 23, 2026, at the Texas A&M Agrilife offices in Weslaco so people can get their private water well screened or have their soil samples tested.

Click here to register.

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