Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Chaffee County
A well near Buena Vista may not drill or perform like one outside Salida, even when the properties look similar from the road. Chaffee County's permitted wells have a median depth of 105 feet and a median reported yield of 12 gpm, but fractured mountain rock makes the individual parcel important.
Colorado DWR records include 10,201 well permits countywide, with 6,594 recorded as constructed. Use these county figures to start a budget, then check nearby completion records and the property's actual permit before committing to land.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for all permitted wells in the county. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 60 |
| Median | 105 |
| 75th percentile | 196 |
| 90th percentile | 320 |
| Deepest on record | 1,000 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 9,887 |
| Alluvial | 185 |
| Quaternary Alluvium | 27 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 9.0 |
| Median | 12.0 |
| 75th percentile | 15.0 |
| Median depth to water | 55 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 33 ft |
| 1980s | 34 ft |
| 1990s | 42 ft |
| 2000s | 48 ft |
| 2010s | 60 ft |
| 2020s | 56 ft |
The middle half of reported Chaffee County well depths runs from 60 to 196 feet. That is a useful starting range for a driller's bid, not a promise that drilling stops there. The 90th-percentile depth is 320 feet, and the deepest reported well reaches 1,000 feet.
Most permit aquifer entries fall into the unnamed/fractured-bedrock category: 9,887 wells, compared with 185 labeled Alluvial and 27 labeled Quaternary Alluvium. An unnamed entry does not establish the geology beneath a particular lot.
In granite and gneiss, water depends on intersecting productive fractures. For land around Nathrop, Maysville or Poncha Springs, compare nearby completion logs and terrain rather than pricing solely from the county median. Ask how additional footage, casing and difficult rock will be charged.
Reported pump yields center on 12 gpm, with the middle half between 9 and 15 gpm. Among wells reporting yield, 69% fall in the 5–15 gpm category and 25% in the 15+ gpm category. Those figures are encouraging for household planning, but a reported drilling yield is not a guarantee of sustained supply.
The 1–5 gpm category accounts for 6%; the under-1-gpm category is reported as 0%. That does not establish that every parcel can produce a dependable well. Only 4,375 permits report a pump yield.
Have an existing well's pumping performance and recovery checked before buying. If production is limited, discuss storage and household demand. Also read the permit: physical production does not authorize irrigation, livestock watering or other uses beyond its terms.
Static water level means the depth to standing water when the well is not being pumped, not the drilled depth. Among the 1,201 Chaffee County records reporting it, the median is 55 feet below ground, with the middle half from 32 to 110 feet.
Decade medians deepen from 33 feet in the 1970s to 34 in the 1980s, 42 in the 1990s, 48 in the 2000s and 60 in the 2010s. The 2020s median is somewhat shallower at 56 feet.
That pattern suggests deeper reported water levels over the longer term, but it is not proof of a uniform falling water table. Different wells and measurement conditions can affect the comparison. For a purchase near Johnson Village or Buena Vista, seek repeat measurements from the same well.
Chaffee County's largest permit decades in these records were the 2000s, with 2,139 permits, and the 1990s, with 2,043. The 2010s account for 1,270, while the 2020s have 937 so far; the newest permit year is 2026. Do not compare that unfinished decade as though it were complete.
The most active drillers listed are American Drilling Service (Dewberry, Bradford W.), with 1,752 records; Mccoy Drilling Inc (Dennison, Lynn A.), with 896; and Whitewater Systems, Inc. (Shake, Shawn), with 548. Historical activity does not confirm current availability.
Domestic/household use represents 85% of the use mix. Still, a permit record is not proof of a completed, functioning household supply. Match the permit, construction report and physical well before relying on it in a sale.
The local cost model uses $65–$100 per foot for drilling fractured mountain bedrock. At the 105-foot median depth, that puts the drilled hole at approximately $6,800–$10,500. A finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at $12,800–$22,500.
Keep those scopes separate when comparing bids. A price for the hole is not the price for water delivered to the house. Ask the contractor to spell out casing, grout, testing, pump installation and the route to the building.
The 60–196-foot middle depth range leaves meaningful room for a bid to change with actual footage. On a mountain parcel around Garfield or Maysville, confirm rig access and trench conditions before treating the county model as a site-specific budget.
The mapped environmental inventory within about 10 miles includes 1,310 historic mine features, 16 PFAS sampling/contamination sites and 12 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites. These are screening flags, not findings that a particular Chaffee County well is contaminated. A PFAS sampling location does not necessarily mean contamination was detected.
Before buying, review nearby site records and obtain laboratory testing of the property's water. Ask the laboratory or local health authority which tests fit the location, including whether mining-related constituents or PFAS warrant testing.
Fractured rock also leaves room for low production or an unsuccessful bore despite favorable county yields. Inspect casing and surface protection, and coordinate the well with septic siting, drainage, building placement and future service access. A workable house site does not automatically provide a workable well-and-septic layout.
Start with the actual parcel, not a listing's statement that neighboring properties have wells. Pull nearby DWR permits and completion reports, then compare depth, yield, aquifer descriptions and terrain. Countywide, 7,436 records report depth, but fewer report yield or static water level, so expect gaps.
For an existing well, match its location and permit to the property, verify authorized uses, and arrange water-quality and performance checks. For vacant land, confirm the permitting path with DWR before finalizing the home and septic layout. An exempt household-use permit is not blanket permission for outdoor watering; uses requiring augmentation need separate review.
Keep time for drilling and access review before closing. Nearby Lake County and Fremont County records may add context, but they should not replace wells closest to the parcel.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 110 |
| 1960s | 119 |
| 1970s | 1,043 |
| 1980s | 989 |
| 1990s | 2,043 |
| 2000s | 2,139 |
| 2010s | 1,270 |
| 2020s | 937 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| American Drilling Service (Dewberry, Bradford W.) | 1,752 |
| Mccoy Drilling Inc (Dennison, Lynn A.) | 896 |
| Whitewater Systems, Inc. (Shake, Shawn) | 548 |
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 (196 ft) would run roughly $18,740–$31,600. 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.
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The median reported well depth in Chaffee County is 105 feet, and the middle half falls between 60 and 196 feet. The 90th-percentile depth is 320 feet. Fractured mountain bedrock makes depth parcel-specific, so use nearby completion logs and a driller's site review rather than assuming your well will match the median.
The local model estimates $65–$100 per foot for fractured-bedrock drilling. At the 105-foot median depth, the drilled hole is about $6,800–$10,500, while a finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is about $12,800–$22,500. Request a written scope that identifies casing, grout, access requirements and charges if more footage is needed.
The median reported pump yield is 12 gpm, with the middle half between 9 and 15 gpm. The 1–5 gpm category accounts for 6% of reported yields. These records help screen a property, but they do not guarantee sustained production. Before buying, have the well's pumping performance and recovery checked against intended household demand.
County permit statistics cannot establish drinking-water safety. The nearby mapped inventory includes 1,310 historic mine features, 16 PFAS sampling/contamination sites and 12 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites, but proximity alone does not prove contamination. Test the property's water through a laboratory and review nearby environmental records to decide whether additional location-specific testing is appropriate.
Reported decade medians deepen from 33 feet below ground in the 1970s to 60 feet in the 2010s, then become somewhat shallower at 56 feet in the 2020s. That suggests a longer-term shift toward deeper reported levels, not proof of countywide decline. Repeat measurements from the same well are more useful for judging a property's trend.
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