Cope, Colorado Well Depth, Yield, and Drilling Costs

How deep are wells around Cope?

How much water do wells make near Cope?

Cope wells are usually shallow, but the ground still decides

The median reported well depth near Cope is 60 feet. The middle half runs from 46 to 150 feet, so many drilling bids should be based on a relatively shallow hole, while still allowing for meaningful variation. About 69% of wells are under 100 feet, 30% are between 100 and 300 feet, and 1% are between 300 and 600 feet. The deepest recorded well is 450 feet.

These records name the Ogallala on 134 permits, the High Plains Aquifer on 10, and an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer on 237. Cope is not showing Denver Basin aquifer wells in this dataset. A driller should review nearby logs before pricing the job, because plains sediment and bedrock can change across a short distance.

Reported well yields around Cope are generally useful

The reported yield median is 25.0 gallons per minute, with a middle half from 15.0 to 500.0 gallons per minute. Among the 36 wells that report a pump yield, 81% are above 15 gallons per minute and 19% are between 5 and 15 gallons per minute. No reported wells fall under 5 gallons per minute in this dataset.

That is encouraging for a household, but it is not a promise for an untested lot. Yield figures may reflect different testing methods and uses, including domestic, stock, and irrigation wells. Ask for the well construction report and pumping information. A permitted exempt household-use well also has a 35-gallon-per-minute pumping limit, even if the aquifer could produce more.

Water levels near Cope are relatively close to the surface

Only 19 permits report a static water level, so the water-level sample is much smaller than the depth sample. Within that group, the median depth to static water is 33 feet, and the middle half runs from 22 to 112 feet. That suggests water is often encountered fairly shallowly in the reported wells, but it does not establish the water level for every parcel.

The permit history does not provide a water-level series by decade, so these facts do not show a defensible long-term rise or decline. Before buying, compare nearby well logs and ask for current information from the seller or driller. Static level, pumping level, seasonal conditions, and well location can all affect what a new pump system needs.

Permit history shows long-running drilling around Cope

Cope has a long record of well construction, with permits issued from the 1950s through the 2020s. The records show 23 permits in the 1950s, 23 in the 1960s, 43 in the 1970s, 18 in the 1980s, 27 in the 1990s, 35 in the 2000s, 17 in the 2010s, and 11 in the 2020s. The newest permit year is 2025.

The most frequently listed drillers are Klassen Drilling, also recorded as Klassen, Paul C, with 56 permits; Schaal Drilling Co., also recorded as Schaal, Ruben T., with 24; and Wrape & Payne with 20. Older records may not reflect current availability or pricing. Use the names as a starting point, then verify licensing, insurance, scope, and who will complete the pump and electrical work.

A median-depth Cope well pencils out at $8,100-$15,300 finished

The local cost model uses $35-$55 per foot for alluvium and plains sedimentary rock. At the 60-foot median depth, the drilled hole alone is estimated at about $2,100-$3,300. That is not the project total.

A finished well including the pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $8,100-$15,300. A bid can move outside that range if the hole is deeper than expected, access is difficult, casing or grout requirements change, or the electrical and trench route is more involved. Request a written breakdown that separates drilling, casing, grout, development, pump equipment, trenching, electrical, testing, and permit-related work.

Check water quality, septic spacing, and the building plan

The mapped environmental record within about 10 miles includes 1 PFAS sampling or contamination site. There are 0 historic mine features and 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in the mapped facts. That does not make untreated well water automatically safe. Test a private well for the contaminants relevant to the site and proposed use, and retest after construction or any change in taste, odor, or appearance.

Low yield and dry holes remain possible even where nearby wells perform well. Confirm that the proposed well location works with the septic system, replacement area, driveway, utility trench, and house foundation. Colorado permits, water rights, and augmentation requirements can affect what a well may legally supply, particularly in an over-appropriated basin. Have the site reviewed before closing or excavating.

For a Cope lot, buy the records before you buy the dirt

Start with the DWR permit and construction records for the parcel and nearby wells. Look for total depth, casing and grout details, aquifer description, static level, pump yield, and the permitted use. The local records include domestic or household, stock, and irrigation wells, so a nearby irrigation result should not be treated as a direct household forecast.

For a new build, get a driller to inspect access and propose a well location before finalizing the house site. Carry a realistic allowance for the complete system, not just the hole. Confirm septic feasibility, electrical service, water testing, and the legal use of the well. A well inspection and a written drilling estimate are small steps compared with discovering after purchase that the lot cannot support the intended home.

Well permits by decade near Cope

What a new well costs in Cope, 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 (150 ft) would run roughly $11,250–$20,250. 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 Cope? 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 Cope 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 Cope

Keep researching

More in Washington County

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

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