Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Jefferson County › Dakota Ridge
Buying land in Dakota Ridge means treating the well as part of the property, not as a guaranteed utility. Records within five miles show 2,366 permitted wells, with 1,300 recorded as constructed. Reported conditions vary widely across this mountain area, particularly where fractured bedrock and Denver Basin formations affect drilling.
The local median well is 130 feet deep, and the median reported pump yield is 10.0 gallons per minute. Those figures are useful for planning, but they do not predict one specific lot. Review the permit, well construction, water-rights limitations, neighboring wells and site conditions before closing or starting construction.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Dakota Ridge. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 35 |
| Median | 130 |
| 75th percentile | 405 |
| 90th percentile | 625 |
| Deepest on record | 4,095 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 1,872 |
| Arapahoe | 85 |
| Alluvial | 81 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 5.0 |
| Median | 10.0 |
| 75th percentile | 14.0 |
| Median depth to water | 33 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 2010s | 30 ft |
| 2020s | 25 ft |
The median reported depth near Dakota Ridge is 130 feet. The middle half of reported wells runs from 35 to 405 feet, so a driller bidding a new well should not treat 130 feet as a firm target. It is a starting point for estimating, not a guarantee.
About 45% of wells are under 100 feet, while 20% fall between 100 and 300 feet, 22% between 300 and 600 feet, and 13% exceed 600 feet. The deepest record is 4,095 feet. Permits commonly identify unnamed fractured bedrock, with Denver Basin aquifer wells making up 68% of the records. Rock structure, the selected aquifer and the lot’s position can drive the final depth.
Among the 250 wells reporting pump yield, the median is 10.0 gallons per minute. The middle half produces 5.0 to 14.0 gallons per minute, which is a workable planning range for many household systems when the storage and pump equipment are properly sized.
Reported results are not evenly distributed. 59% produce between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, 22% report more than 15, 17% fall between 1 and 5, and 2% are under 1 gallon per minute. A low-yield well may still work with storage, but it deserves a specific design review. Ask for the well test, permitted use and recovery information rather than relying on a neighbor’s result.
Only 57 wells report a static water level, so the water-level data is thinner than the depth data. In that group, the median depth to water is 33 feet**, with the middle half from 18 to 150 feet. That spread matters when estimating pump setting, trenching and the risk of encountering water at different elevations.
The median reported level was 30 feet below surface in the 2010s and 25 feet in the 2020s. That does not show a dropping water table in this record set; the later median is shallower. The limited sample and changing measurement locations make it unsuitable for predicting a particular parcel. Confirm conditions with a current well test and nearby permits in Dakota Ridge, Ken Caryl and Morrison.
Well activity has continued across the area. The records show 68 permits from the 1950s, 75 from the 1960s, 237 from the 1970s, 205 from the 1980s, 362 from the 1990s, 358 from the 2000s, 160 from the 2010s and 233 from the 2020s. The newest permit year is 2025.
In the records, the most active listed driller is Authorized (Pe, Pg), associated with 531 wells. Hier Drilling Co Inc, listed as Hier, Bruce A., appears on 74, and James Drilling Company, listed as Keaton, Michael K., on 56. These are record patterns, not endorsements or proof of current availability.
The local cost model uses a typical drilling rate of $50 to $70 per foot in Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock. At the 130-foot median depth, the drilled hole alone works out to about $6,500 to $9,100. That is not the full project price.
A finished system with pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at about $12,500 to $21,100. A bid should state what happens if the hole must go deeper, the yield is poor, casing or grout requirements change, or access requires extra excavation. Compare bids by scope, not just by the per-foot number. Include well permitting, water testing and any storage or treatment equipment that the proposed household system may need.
Environmental screening deserves attention around Dakota Ridge. Within about ten miles, the map includes 241 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 91 historic mine features and 78 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. A mapped site does not establish contamination on a specific parcel, but it is a reason to order a current laboratory water test and review the site history.
Low yield, a dry hole and fractured-rock variability are separate risks from water quality. Check the permitted use, construction record, casing and grout, pump test and static level. Confirm that the proposed house, septic system, driveway and reserve area fit the lot. Domestic wells are subject to Colorado water-rights rules; an exempt household-use well is not a guarantee of unrestricted irrigation or additional dwelling use.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 68 |
| 1960s | 75 |
| 1970s | 237 |
| 1980s | 205 |
| 1990s | 362 |
| 2000s | 358 |
| 2010s | 160 |
| 2020s | 233 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 531 |
| Hier Drilling Co Inc (Hier, Bruce A.) | 74 |
| James Drilling Company (Keaton, Michael K.) | 56 |
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 (405 ft) would run roughly $26,250–$40,350. 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 Dakota RidgeTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Dakota Ridge with access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems and custom homes. We can help coordinate the excavation and site work that must fit around a well and its septic layout.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Dakota Ridge 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 Dakota Ridge. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median reported well depth within five miles of Dakota Ridge is 130 feet. The middle half ranges from 35 to 405 feet, while 13% of records are deeper than 600 feet. The deepest record is 4,095 feet. Local fractured bedrock and Denver Basin conditions make a parcel-specific estimate more useful than the median alone.
Among 250 wells with reported pump yields, the median is 10.0 gallons per minute. The middle half ranges from 5.0 to 14.0 gallons per minute. About 2% report under 1 gallon per minute, while 17% report 1 to 5. Ask for a current well test and consider storage if the yield is low.
The local model uses $50 to $70 per foot. At the 130-foot median depth, drilling the hole is estimated at $6,500 to $9,100. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is estimated at $12,500 to $21,100. Actual bids can change if the hole must go deeper or access and construction requirements differ.
Safety cannot be determined from a permit or a regional median. Within about ten miles, records map 241 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 91 historic mine features and 78 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Those locations do not prove a parcel is affected. Order a current laboratory test and review nearby land uses, mine history and well construction.
Yes. The records show wide variation in depth, yield and static water level, and only 57 wells report static levels. Request the permit and construction record, pump test, water-quality results and service history. Compare nearby wells in Dakota Ridge, Ken Caryl, Morrison, Columbine and Bow Mar, but use those records as context rather than a substitute for testing the property.
All wells in Jefferson County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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