Bonanza, Colorado Well Depths, Yields and Costs

How deep are wells around Bonanza?

How much water do wells make near Bonanza?

Bonanza well depths range from shallow to very deep

Bonanza’s median well depth is 160 feet, and the middle half of recorded depths falls between 88 and 255 feet. The depth mix shows why a single bid can be misleading: 30% are under 100 feet, 46% are between 100 and 300 feet, 20% are between 300 and 600 feet, and 4% exceed 600 feet. The deepest record reaches 1,780 feet.

The permits mainly identify an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, with 103 wells in that category. Fractured rock can change quickly across short distances, so nearby well depths are useful evidence but not a promise. For a Bonanza drilling estimate, ask for a written allowance that explains how the price changes if the hole goes beyond the expected depth, and confirm casing and grout are included.

Reported Bonanza yields are generally usable, but records are limited

The median reported pump yield near Bonanza is 8.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half between 5.0 and 13.0 gallons per minute. Seventy percent of reported wells fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, 14% report more than 15 gallons per minute, and 16% report between 1 and 5 gallons per minute. No reported well is under 1 gallon per minute.

That is a favorable local pattern, but only 37 wells report a pump yield. Yield is not the same as storage in the well or guaranteed household flow. A buyer should request the well construction report, pump information and any available pumping test. A home with storage tanks may handle variable production better than a system designed around continuous high demand.

Water levels are shallow in the few Bonanza records available

Only 4 wells report a static water level, so the water-level sample is small. Those records show a median depth to water of 2 feet, with the middle half from 1 to 24 feet. This suggests shallow measured water levels in the reported wells, but it does not establish a reliable water-table elevation for every lot.

The permit history does not provide enough water-level observations by decade to demonstrate a falling or rising trend. Do not treat the shallow median as proof that drilling will be easy or that pumping capacity is high. Static water level, seasonal conditions, well depth and actual production are separate questions. Ask for recent measurements and compare neighboring construction reports where available.

Bonanza drilling history reaches back to the 1970s

Permit activity is concentrated in the 2000s, when 38 permits were issued. The records show 5 permits in the 1970s, 14 in the 1980s, 22 in the 1990s, 38 in the 2000s, 14 in the 2010s and 5 in the 2020s. The newest permit year is 2025, so the area still has recent drilling information.

American Drilling Service, associated in the records with Dewberry, Bradford W., appears most often with 37 wells. Mccoy Drilling Inc, associated with Dennison, Lynn A., appears with 12, and Moody Drilling, associated with Moody, Michael C., with 5. These records show who has worked nearby, not who is available or recommended today. Verify licensing, insurance, references and the proposed scope before hiring.

A Bonanza well budget starts around the median depth

For the mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground described in the local cost model, drilling commonly runs about $50-$75 per foot. At Bonanza’s 160-foot median depth, the drilled hole is modeled at about $8,000-$12,000. A finished system, including pump, tank, trenching and electrical, is modeled at about $14,000-$24,000.

That finished-well range is a planning figure, not a fixed quote. Access, difficult ground, additional casing, power requirements, trench length and the final pump setup can change the total. Ask whether the proposal covers permitting, mobilization, casing, grout, development, pump installation, pressure equipment, electrical work and testing. Also ask for the cost of a dry hole or an unsuccessful completion before drilling starts.

Mine history, septic layout and water rights deserve a close check

Within about 10 miles of Bonanza, the mapped environmental data includes 2 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 613 historic mine features and 5 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. These counts do not prove contamination at a particular parcel. They do justify checking the property history, nearby mine workings, water testing records and applicable environmental databases before closing.

Low yield and dry holes remain practical risks in fractured-bedrock settings, even with a solid nearby median. Have the well location, septic system, reserve area, driveway and building footprint reviewed together. Colorado DWR permits control the authorized use; many household wells are exempt wells, and the 35 gpm exempt-well pumping limit still matters. In an over-appropriated basin, an augmentation plan may be required. Confirm the permit’s use, and test existing water before relying on it.

What to do before buying or building near Bonanza

Start with the exact parcel, not the area average. Pull neighboring DWR well records and compare depths, reported yields, aquifer descriptions and construction details. The local records show 88% domestic or household use, 25% stock use, 2% irrigation and 5% monitoring, so confirm that the existing permit actually supports the use you need.

Before making an offer, make the contract contingent on reviewing the well permit, construction report, water quality and septic feasibility. If the lot is vacant, have a driller evaluate rig access and a civil or septic professional reserve suitable space before you choose the building site. For a new home, budget the complete system rather than drilling alone, and keep a contingency for deeper drilling, low production or an alternate water plan.

Well permits by decade near Bonanza

What a new well costs in Bonanza, 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 (255 ft) would run roughly $18,750–$31,125. 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 Bonanza? 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 Bonanza 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 Bonanza

Keep researching

More in Saguache County

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

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