Copper Mountain Well Depth, Yield, and Drilling Costs

How deep are wells around Copper Mountain?

How much water do wells make near Copper Mountain?

Copper Mountain well depth is usually moderate, but bedrock controls the bid

The median reported well depth near Copper Mountain is 110 feet. The middle half runs from 71 to 202 feet, and the deepest recorded well reaches 350 feet. That spread matters when comparing drilling proposals: a bid based on 110 feet may not cover a location that encounters less productive fractured granite or gneiss.

Depth records show 41% of wells under 100 feet and 46% between 100 and 300 feet. Another 12% fall between 300 and 600 feet, with no recorded wells at 600 feet or deeper. Most permits identify an unnamed fractured-bedrock aquifer, so nearby depth is helpful context, not a guarantee for the lot you are buying.

Reported Copper Mountain yields are generally workable, with limited testing

The median reported pump yield is 10.0 gallons per minute, and the middle half spans 9.4 to 20.0 gallons per minute. Of the wells with yield data, 47% report 5 to 15 gallons per minute and another 47% report more than 15 gallons per minute. Six percent report 1 to 5 gallons per minute, and none report under 1 gallon per minute.

That is a favorable local record, but only 17 wells report a pump yield. A buyer should not treat the median as a promise from a new hole. Ask for the completion report and pumping test, confirm the intended household demand, and make sure the storage tank and pump are sized for the actual result.

Copper Mountain water levels are shallow in the limited records

Only 4 permitted wells near Copper Mountain report a static water level, so there is not enough information here to establish a reliable long-term trend. The median depth to static water is 24 feet, with a middle half from 12 to 74 feet.

Those measurements suggest water can occur relatively close to the surface in some local wells, but they do not prove that every parcel will have the same water level. Static level also differs from a pumping level. Before closing, obtain neighboring well records where available and ask the driller how seasonal recharge, fractured rock, and the proposed well location may affect the result.

Permit history reaches back to the 1960s, with activity in recent years

DWR permit records show 2 permits from the 1960s, 16 from the 1970s, 10 from the 1980s, 41 from the 1990s, 7 from the 2000s, 18 from the 2010s, and 8 from the 2020s. The newest permit year in this data is 2022. The record is therefore not limited to one construction period, but the total number of construction and yield reports is smaller than the permit count.

The most active listed driller is Authorized (Pe, Pg), with 35 records. Buena Vista Drilling (Shelton, William L) has 10, and Golden Eagle Drilling Corporation (Shelton, Joe Wayne) has 4. Confirm current licensing, availability, and scope directly before selecting a contractor.

A median-depth Copper Mountain well may cost $13,200 to $23,000 finished

Local drilling is priced for fractured mountain bedrock, including granite and gneiss. The stated drilling rate is $65 to $100 per foot. At the 110-foot median depth, the drilled hole works out to about $7,200 to $11,000. That is only the hole.

A finished system with pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $13,200 to $23,000 at the median depth. A deeper hole, difficult access, casing or grouting requirements, and site-specific electrical or trench work can move the final number. Have bids state the assumed footage and identify what happens if the driller must continue beyond that assumption.

Mine features, septic layout, and low-yield risk need a site review

Within about 10 miles, the mapped environmental record includes 6 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 1416 historic mine features, and 10 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. These listings do not automatically mean a particular parcel has contaminated water, but they are reasons to check the property history, test the well water, and ask about nearby mine workings or disturbed ground.

Fractured rock can produce uneven results, including a low-yield or dry hole even where nearby wells perform well. Septic setbacks, slope, access for a rig, casing and grout, and the location of the house all need to work together. Confirm the DWR permit and water-use rules before construction; an exempt household-use well is not permission to use water for every purpose.

What to verify before buying or building near Copper Mountain

Start with the exact parcel, then review every nearby DWR permit and available construction report. Compare recorded depths, yields, aquifer descriptions, and static levels rather than relying on one favorable well. In this area, the fractured-bedrock setting makes the driller’s proposed location and access route important parts of the decision.

For an existing home, request recent water testing, pump information, storage details, and repair history. For vacant land, get a written well estimate based on the access plan and likely depth, plus a septic evaluation before committing to a building layout. If the intended use involves more than ordinary household service, verify the permit limitations and any need for an augmentation plan in an over-appropriated basin.

Well permits by decade near Copper Mountain

What a new well costs in Copper Mountain, 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 (202 ft) would run roughly $19,130–$32,200. 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 Copper Mountain? 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 Copper Mountain 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 Copper Mountain

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