Est. 1978
Our Story: Three Generations of Central Texas Water
One family, one county, one rig to start with. Forty-five years later the rigs have changed and the ground hasn't.
Our story
Forty-five years, 12,000 wells, one county
- 1978Earl Sterling, one cable-tool rig
- 1994Dale adds rotary rigs and pump service
- 2011Well-log archive passes 8,000 records
- TodayCody leads the third generation
Sterling Ridge was founded in 1978 by Earl Sterling with a single cable-tool rig and a simple promise: do the job right, treat people fair. He drilled his first well four miles from where our yard sits today, and he kept the log. We still have it.
Earl's son Dale grew the company through the 1990s — added rotary rigs, brought pump service in house so customers stopped having to call two companies, and started the well-log archive that now covers most of Bell County. Today Earl's grandson Cody Sterling leads the third generation.
Across 45+ years and 12,000+ wells, one thing hasn't changed: when your family needs water, ours is here. We still answer our own phone. We still drill with our own crews. And we still write down where the water was, because someday your neighbor is going to ask.
What we hold to
Four things we don't negotiate
Honesty
Straight answers and per-foot pricing. If we think you don't need the work, we'll tell you that too — it costs us a job and earns us the next five.
Quality
Our crews, our equipment, done right the first time. Nothing subcontracted, because we can't stand behind work we didn't watch.
Community
We live here, we drill here, and we run into our customers at the feed store. That's a strong incentive to do good work.
Reliability
We answer the phone and we show up when we say we will. It sounds like a low bar. In this trade it isn't.
- 1978
- Family owned since
- 12,000+
- Wells drilled
- 45+
- Years of experience
- 4.9★
- From 380+ Google reviews
Most Central Texas homeowners invest between $3,000 and $15,000 in a complete new well — and we'll give you an honest, per-foot estimate before we start.
Who you'll deal with
The people on the other end of the phone
Cody Sterling
Owner & Licensed Driller — 3rd Generation
Grew up riding along on service calls and started on the rig floor at seventeen. Holds the company's TDLR driller license and still runs a rig most weeks — mostly, he says, so the crews can't accuse him of forgetting what the job is.
Maria Vasquez
Office Manager
The person who actually answers when you call. Handles scheduling, permitting and state reporting, and has an unnerving memory for which property had which problem three years ago.
Jesse Contreras
Lead Pump Technician — NGWA Certified
Twenty-two years on pumps and pressure systems. Diagnoses more problems from the driveway than most people manage with the pump pulled, and takes visible satisfaction in fixing a $40 switch instead of selling a $4,000 pump.
Credentials
Licensed, certified, insured
- TDLR Water Well Driller License #DEMO-58217
- Texas requires a licensed driller for every new water well. Ours is current, and it's on every permit we file.
- Certified Pump Installer #DEMO-1104
- Pump installation is licensed separately from drilling in Texas. We hold both, which is why one company can do the whole job.
- NGWA Certified Well Driller (CWD)
- A voluntary national certification from the National Ground Water Association, requiring documented experience and a written examination.
- Licensed, bonded & fully insured
- General liability and workers' compensation on every crew. Certificates available on request before we set foot on your property.
Free estimate
Let's talk about your water
Forty-five years of local well logs, and a free site assessment before you commit to anything.
Licensed & insured · Family owned since 1978 · 24/7 emergency service
Request a Free Estimate
Fill out the form and we'll get back to you within one business day. Need help now? Call us — you'll reach a real person.