Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Boulder County › Bonanza Mountain Estates
Buying land in Bonanza Mountain Estates means dealing with fractured mountain bedrock rather than a predictable shallow sedimentary aquifer. Nearby records show a wide range of well depths and production, so a neighboring well is useful evidence but not a guarantee for your lot.
This page covers permitted wells within 5 miles of Bonanza Mountain Estates, including nearby St. Ann Highlands, Nederland, Rollinsville, Sugarloaf, Eldora, and Mountain Meadows. The records include 2,476 wells, with 1,770 recorded as constructed.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Bonanza Mountain Estates. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 160 |
| Median | 285 |
| 75th percentile | 401 |
| 90th percentile | 525 |
| Deepest on record | 1,301 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 2,400 |
| Fractured Crystalline | 15 |
| Fractured Granite | 6 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 5.0 |
| Median | 7.0 |
| 75th percentile | 10.0 |
| Median depth to water | 47 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 25 ft |
| 2010s | 50 ft |
| 2020s | 52 ft |
The median reported well depth is 285 feet. The middle half runs from 160 to 401 feet, which is the most useful range when discussing an initial drilling plan. A driller still needs room in the bid for local variation: 13% of wells are under 100 feet, while 42% fall between 300 and 600 feet. Another 7% are deeper than 600 feet.
The deepest well in the records reaches 1,301 feet. Most permits identify an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer. Fractured granite and gneiss can produce water through separate cracks, so depth can change sharply between nearby homes. Use the 285-foot median as a planning reference, not a guaranteed target depth.
Among the 850 wells reporting pump yield, the median is 7.0 gallons per minute. The middle half produces 5.0 to 10.0 gallons per minute, and 68% report between 5 and 15 gallons per minute. That is generally a workable domestic range when the well, pressure tank, and storage setup are properly designed.
Low production is still part of the local risk. 3% of reported wells make under 1 gallon per minute, and 21% fall between 1 and 5 gallons per minute. Ask for the completion report and pump test, not just a verbal estimate. A low-yield well may still serve a household with storage, but it can affect fixtures, irrigation expectations, and fire-protection planning.
The reported static water-level median is 47 feet below ground surface, with the middle half from 19 to 80 feet. Only 111 wells report a static water level, so this is a smaller sample than the depth data and should not be treated as a site-specific measurement.
The decade medians suggest deeper measured water levels over time: 25 feet in the 1970s, 50 feet in the 2010s, and 52 feet in the 2020s. That pattern is consistent with a possible downward trend, but the measurements may come from different locations, seasons, and well conditions. Have a contractor measure the actual well before closing or construction, especially around St. Ann Highlands, Nederland, and Rollinsville.
Permit activity is concentrated in the older development period. The records show 529 permits from the 1970s, 488 from the 1990s, and 367 from the 1980s. There are also 82 permits from the 2020s, with the newest permit issued in 2025. The area has a substantial history of permitted domestic wells rather than only recent construction.
The most active drillers listed in these records are Ground Water Systems Inc (Wilson, Richard R.) with 709 records, C R Smith Drilling Inc (Smith, Frank) with 185, and Ingram Drilling Inc. (Ingram, Stephen E.) with 149. Treat those names as record history, not a recommendation. Confirm current licensing, availability, and who will perform the work.
Local drilling occurs in fractured granite and gneiss. The stated drilling rate is $65 to $100 per foot. At the local median depth of 285 feet, the drilled hole works out to about $18,500 to $28,500. That figure is for drilling depth, not a complete water system.
A finished well including pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $24,500 to $40,500 at the median depth. A bid should explain what happens if the hole reaches the planned depth without adequate water, and should identify casing, grout, testing, mobilization, and difficult access charges. On a steep mountain lot, access and trenching can materially affect the final proposal even when the well depth is close to the median.
Low yield and dry-hole risk deserve specific attention because the local aquifer is fractured bedrock. Nearby production does not prove that a new borehole will intersect the same water-bearing fracture. Review neighboring completion reports, pump tests, static levels, and any history of storage tanks or hauling water.
Water quality also needs testing. The mapped area includes 13 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 1,323 historic mine features, and 15 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites within about 10 miles. Those mapped features do not establish contamination at a particular home, but they are reasons to test for site-appropriate contaminants and metals. Check septic setbacks, usable building area, access for a drill rig, and the permit conditions before relying on a well for a new home.
Before closing, pull the DWR permit and construction records for the property and nearby wells. Compare depth, yield, casing, grout, pump equipment, and static water level. A licensed well contractor can help interpret whether the closest comparisons are genuinely similar in elevation, geology, and access.
For a build, confirm the well permit, domestic-use limits, septic layout, driveway route, electrical service, and space for tanks or treatment equipment together. Most local permits are domestic or household use, at 93% of the records. An exempt household-use well is subject to its permit conditions, including the general 35 gallons-per-minute pumping limit. Colorado water rights can be more complicated in over-appropriated basins, where an augmentation plan may be required. Get that answer before designing the house.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 9 |
| 1960s | 83 |
| 1970s | 529 |
| 1980s | 367 |
| 1990s | 488 |
| 2000s | 292 |
| 2010s | 151 |
| 2020s | 82 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Ground Water Systems Inc (Wilson, Richard R.) | 709 |
| C R Smith Drilling Inc (Smith, Frank) | 185 |
| Ingram Drilling Inc. (Ingram, Stephen E.) | 149 |
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 (401 ft) would run roughly $32,065–$52,100. See the full Colorado well cost guide.
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.
The numbers above are the area average. Your lot is one point on the map. Search the address to see the real depth, yield and aquifer of each permitted well around it.
Map wells near Bonanza Mountain EstatesTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving mountain properties with access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems, and custom homes. For a Bonanza Mountain Estates project, coordinate the well, septic, access, and building work early so the site plan fits the terrain.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Bonanza Mountain Estates 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.
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.
Driveway, site work, septic or a build near Bonanza Mountain Estates. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median reported depth is 285 feet, and the middle half of wells runs from 160 to 401 feet. Local variation is substantial: 42% are between 300 and 600 feet, and the deepest recorded well is 1,301 feet. Fractured granite and gneiss make a neighboring well useful context, but not a guarantee for a specific lot.
The local drilling rate is estimated at $65 to $100 per foot. At the median depth of 285 feet, the drilled hole is about $18,500 to $28,500. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $24,500 to $40,500. Access, difficult ground, testing, and an unsuccessful hole can change the bid.
Among the 850 wells reporting yield, the median is 7.0 gallons per minute, with a middle half from 5.0 to 10.0 gallons per minute. 3% produce under 1 gallon per minute, while 68% fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute. Request the actual pump test before relying on a listing claim.
Safety cannot be determined from depth or yield alone. Within about 10 miles are 13 PFAS sites, 1,323 historic mine features, and 15 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. These maps do not prove a property is contaminated, but they support testing for PFAS, metals, and other site-appropriate contaminants before purchase and periodically afterward.
Reported static water-level medians were 25 feet below ground in the 1970s, 50 feet in the 2010s, and 52 feet in the 2020s. That suggests deeper measured water levels over time, but only 111 wells report static levels and the measurements vary by location and season. Test the property well directly before closing.
All wells in Boulder County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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