Crestone, Colorado Well Depth, Yield, and Cost

How deep are wells around Crestone?

How much water do wells make near Crestone?

How deep are wells around Crestone?

Crestone's well depths vary, but the local record is weighted toward shallow and moderate drilling. Forty percent of reported wells are under 100 feet, while 57% fall between 100 and 300 feet. The middle half is 55 to 150 feet, making a median-depth bid a useful starting point rather than a promise.

The deepest recorded well is 1,235 feet, and 3% are between 300 and 600 feet, with 1% at 600 feet or deeper. Crestone permits commonly identify an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, while others name the Unconfined San Luis Valley aquifer. Mixed sedimentary, alluvial, and fractured ground can change the drilling plan quickly. Ask for a written allowance covering extra depth, casing, grout, and difficult access.

What water yield can a Crestone well provide?

The reported yield picture is favorable for ordinary household use, with an observed median of 12.2 gallons per minute and a middle half from 10.0 to 15.0 gallons per minute. Sixty percent of reported wells produce between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, while 37% report more than 15 gallons per minute.

Only 188 wells report a pump yield, so this is not a result for every permitted well. The records show 0% under 1 gallon per minute and 3% from 1 to 5 gallons per minute, but a buyer should still verify the specific well's production and recovery. A driller can discuss pump testing, storage, and the difference between a measured yield and dependable long-term supply. Colorado exempt household-use wells have a 35-gallon-per-minute pumping limit.

Is the water table changing near Crestone?

Reported static water levels are fairly shallow. The median depth to water is 35 feet, with the middle half from 20 to 59 feet. That matters for pump placement, trenching, and the amount of casing and equipment a contractor may recommend, but a nearby measurement is more useful than the regional median for a specific parcel.

The decade series does not show a dropping water table in these records. The median static level was 38 feet below the surface in the 2010s and 35 feet in the 2020s, meaning the later median is slightly shallower. Only 68 wells report a static water level, and measurement conditions differ, so this should be read as a limited local indication rather than a long-term basin study.

Who has drilled near Crestone, and when?

The permit history shows sustained drilling activity, especially from the 1990s onward. Permits issued by decade include 205 in the 1990s, 173 in the 2000s, 129 in the 2010s, and 85 in the 2020s. The newest permit year in the records is 2026. Most permitted use is domestic or household supply at 81%, followed by stock at 10%, monitoring at 8%, and irrigation at 3%.

The most active names in these records are Heersink Drilling (Heersink, Scott) with 91 wells, Nwp Drlg & Consul (Newmyer, Halsey R.) with 69, and Valley Pump Company (Self, Clinton L.) with 40. Treat this as permit history, not a current recommendation or availability list.

What does a new well cost in Crestone?

For the mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground described in the local cost model, a typical drilling rate is $50 to $75 per foot. At the local median depth of 105 feet, the drilled hole alone models to about $5,200 to $7,900. That figure is not the complete water system.

A finished well, including the pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical work, models to about $11,200 to $19,900 at the median depth. A deeper hole, difficult access, extra casing or grout, or changes in the pump and storage design can move the bid outside that range. When comparing proposals, ask what is included, how extra footage is priced, and whether the estimate covers permits, testing, electrical service, and connection to the planned house.

Risks to check before building near Crestone

Low yield is not the main pattern in the reported data, but the sample is incomplete and geology can change from one lot to the next. Fractured granite or other fractured bedrock can be unpredictable, including the possibility of drilling deeper than nearby wells or encountering a dry hole. Review neighboring permits and ask a driller to interpret actual logs, not just advertised averages.

Water quality also needs a parcel-specific test. The mapped area has 1 PFAS sampling or contamination site and 68 historic mine features within about 10 miles. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in that mapped area. Those facts do not establish the quality of a particular well. Test the existing or new well, confirm casing and grout, and keep septic setbacks, drainfield space, slope, access, and the house site coordinated before excavation.

Buying land or planning a new well in Crestone

Start with the well permit and construction record for the parcel, then compare it with nearby records in Crestone and surrounding areas such as Moffat, Westcliffe, Silver Cliff, Hooper, Saguache, and Mosca. Look for depth, aquifer description, static water level, yield, and intended use. A permit is not the same as a guaranteed water supply, and a vacant parcel may need a new Colorado Division of Water Resources permit and a qualified driller's site review.

For a building project, secure access for the rig, identify the likely well location, and reserve room for the septic system, replacement drainfield, utility trench, and driveway. If the basin is over-appropriated, confirm whether an augmentation plan or other water-supply requirement applies. Get a written drilling allowance and separate bids for the complete system, then make the purchase contract contingent on the water and septic findings you need.

Well permits by decade near Crestone

What a new well costs in Crestone, 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 $13,500–$23,250. 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 Crestone? 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 Crestone 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 Crestone

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

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