Arapahoe, Colorado Well Depth, Yield, and Cost

How deep are wells around Arapahoe?

How much water do wells make near Arapahoe?

Arapahoe wells usually reach the deeper plains zones

The local depth pattern is fairly consistent compared with many rural areas. The median reported depth is 322 feet, and the middle half runs from 298 to 362 feet. The 90th-percentile depth is 385 feet, while the deepest record reaches 410 feet. No recorded wells are under 100 feet or above 600 feet; 75% fall in the 300-to-600-foot range and 25% fall between 100 and 300 feet.

For a drilling bid, that means a proposal near the local median should not be based on a shallow-hole assumption. The final depth can change with the target formation, water-bearing fractures, casing and grout design, and the result of drilling. Records near Cheyenne Wells, Sheridan Lake, or Kit Carson may provide useful regional context, but Arapahoe-area wells are the better comparison.

Reported yield is generally strong, but the record is limited

Among the 38 wells with a reported pump yield, the median is 22.5 gallons per minute. The middle half ranges from 15.0 to 50.0 gallons per minute, and 84% report more than 15 gallons per minute. The low-yield tail still matters: 3% are under 1 gallon per minute, another 3% are between 1 and 5 gallons per minute, and 11% are between 5 and 15 gallons per minute.

Those figures describe reported well performance, not a guarantee for an unbuilt lot. Ask for the well completion report, pump test information, storage capacity, and intended household or irrigation demand. A strong test rate can still require proper pump sizing and pressure storage. Irrigation accounts for 47% of the recorded use mix, while domestic or household use accounts for 20%.

Arapahoe water-level records are too sparse for a trend

Only 2 wells report a static water level, so the local dataset cannot show a reliable water-table trend by decade. Those reported measurements have a median depth to water of 234 feet, with the middle half from 218 to 249 feet. Treat that as a limited snapshot rather than proof that groundwater is rising, falling, or stable across Arapahoe.

The aquifer labels also vary. Permits identify 119 wells in an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, 52 in the Ogallala, and 1 in the Dakota. Fractured formations can be unpredictable over short distances, even when nearby wells look similar. Before buying, compare static water levels and completion details from adjoining parcels, then have a qualified driller assess the proposed location.

Permit history points to a long-running local drilling market

Arapahoe has a long permit history, with permits issued from the 1950s through the 2020s. The largest recorded decades are the 1980s with 25 permits and the 1970s with 22. There are 2 permits in the 2020s, and the newest permit year in the records is 2023. The use mix is led by irrigation at 47%, followed by stock at 32% and domestic or household use at 20%.

The most active drillers in these records are Kemp's Well Service, listed with 29 wells; Schaal Drilling Co., with 13; and Hasz Energy & Development Co., with 6. These names show who appears in the permit history, not who is available or best for a current project. Confirm licensing, insurance, schedule, references, and the scope of the written proposal before hiring.

A median-depth Arapahoe well needs a realistic budget

For ground described as alluvium and plains sedimentary rock, the local drilling model uses a rate of $35 to $55 per foot. At the 322-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at about $11,300 to $17,700. That is the drilling portion, not the complete water system.

A finished well with a pump, tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $17,300 to $29,700 at the median depth. A quote can move outside that range if the hole runs deeper, access is difficult, casing or grout requirements change, or the site needs more electrical or trench work. Request an itemized bid that separates drilling, casing, development, pump equipment, pressure storage, electrical, trenching, testing, and permit-related work.

PFAS and low-yield questions deserve attention before closing

Environmental review is important around Arapahoe. Mapping shows 55 PFAS sampling or contamination sites within about 10 miles and 1 EPA Superfund or cleanup site. That mapping does not establish contamination at a particular parcel, but it is a reason to obtain current water-quality testing and investigate nearby land uses, drainage, and well history. Historic mine features are recorded at 0 in the mapped area.

Also check for dry-hole history, low-yield wells, abandoned wells, and septic setbacks before finalizing a building plan. A well that produces water may still be poorly suited to a larger home, livestock, or irrigation without adequate storage. Confirm the permit allows the planned use. If a basin is over-appropriated, an augmentation plan may be needed for some uses. Review septic soil conditions and well-to-septic separation with the county and qualified contractors.

What to verify on an Arapahoe lot before you buy

Start with the exact parcel, then collect completion reports for nearby wells rather than relying on the area median alone. Compare depth, aquifer name, static water level, tested yield, pump setting, and permitted use. The local records contain 177 permits, but only 102 report total depth and only 38 report pump yield, so missing information is common.

For a vacant lot, make the water plan part of due diligence. Get a driller's site review, a written cost range, and a plan for access, electrical service, trenching, septic placement, and storage. For an existing home, test the water and inspect the pump, pressure tank, casing, and wellhead. Ask how the well performed during dry periods and whether the recorded permit matches current use. These checks are more useful than treating a nearby 322-foot well as a guarantee.

Well permits by decade near Arapahoe

What a new well costs in Arapahoe, CO

How this is built: the median permitted depth here times the per-foot range for this ground, plus the normal system costs. A lot at the 75th-percentile depth (362 ft) would run roughly $18,670–$31,910. See the full Colorado well cost guide.

Environmental sites mapped within about 10 miles

Counts come from EPA, USGS and state datasets layered on the Colorado Well Finder map. A count is not a verdict on any one well; it tells you what to test for.

Buying land near Arapahoe? Know what it costs to build before you buy the dirt.

A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Arapahoe can carry the same asking price while one needs an $80,000 driveway and a $45,000 engineered septic the other doesn't. The well numbers on this page are the start of that answer. A Tri-Lakes Site Feasibility Report is the rest of it: a licensed general contractor, excavator and septic installer reads the parcel the way we would if we were about to build on it, and puts the real cost in writing before your money is committed.

Spend a little to know. Or gamble a lot to guess. Realtors sell the view and inspectors look at houses that already exist. We're the people who'd build it, so we catch what quietly turns a "great deal" into a budget disaster: bad access, buried rock, steep grade, soil that won't pass for a normal septic, water that's a fortune to reach. And if the lot is good, you've already got a builder ready to do the work, driveway to drywall.

• Instant Online Report, $99 — type the address and get a buildability read on the spot: parcel, terrain and slope, soil and septic outlook. Cheap enough to run on every lot you're shopping.
• Desktop Report, $500 — a contractor's from-the-desk feasibility read: Regulation 43 and county code, GIS parcel data, terrain, flood and drainage, soil and septic viability, setbacks and buildable envelope, nearby well depths from our 591,000-well database, the likely driveway route, and a preliminary site-development cost breakdown.
• On-Site Report, $2,000 — everything above, then boots and a drone on the actual ground: house pad and septic zone located, access and winter conditions checked, rock and soil observed in person, a 15 to 20 page written opinion you can hand a lender or seller. Credited toward your project if you build with us.

Under contract, comparing parcels, or a realtor with a rural listing whose buyers keep asking "what will it cost to build here?" This is the due-diligence step almost everyone skips, and the one that saves the most.

Common questions about wells in Arapahoe

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All wells in Cheyenne County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.

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