Del Norte, Colorado Well Depth, Yield, and Cost

How deep are wells around Del Norte?

How much water do wells make near Del Norte?

Del Norte well depths are usually shallow, but the range is wide

The median recorded well depth near Del Norte is 75 feet. The middle half runs from 39 to 152 feet, meaning half of the reported wells fall inside that range. A driller bidding a typical site may therefore be working with a relatively shallow hole, but should not treat 75 feet as a guarantee.

The depth mix shows the spread clearly: 58% of wells are under 100 feet, 29% are 100-300 feet, 12% are 300-600 feet, and 1% are deeper than 600 feet. The 90th-percentile depth is 302 feet, and the deepest record reaches 1,100 feet. Mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground can change the drilling plan quickly, so a bid should state what happens if the target depth is exceeded.

Reported Del Norte yields are generally strong

Among the 154 wells that report a pump yield, the median is 15.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half between 10.0 and 15.0 gallons per minute. The reported distribution is favorable for many household uses: 66% produce more than 15 gallons per minute, 31% produce 5-15 gallons per minute, and 3% produce 1-5 gallons per minute. No reported wells fall under 1 gallon per minute.

These are permit-record results, not a promise for an unbuilt well or a guarantee for every existing pump. Yield testing, storage capacity, pump sizing, and the well’s permitted use still matter. A domestic well may be subject to the 35-gallon-per-minute exempt-well pumping limit, and irrigation or expanded use can involve separate water-right requirements.

Water levels near Del Norte do not show a simple falling trend

The reported median static water level is 15 feet below the surface, with the middle half between 12 and 60 feet. That is useful for estimating pump and trench conditions, but static level is not the same as the water available during pumping. A shallow water level can also vary with season, recharge, nearby pumping, and the condition of the well.

The decade comparison does not suggest a dropping table in these records. The median measured level was 24 feet below surface in the 2010s and 13 feet in the 2020s, so the more recent reported median is shallower. This is a comparison of available measurements, not a basin-wide trend study. Ask for the actual well log, recent pumping information, and neighboring measurements before relying on the number for a new lot.

Permit history points to long local drilling experience

Del Norte’s permit record includes activity across many decades, with the largest group issued in the 2000s at 180 permits. The record shows 147 permits from the 1990s, 114 from the 1970s, 85 from the 2020s, 71 from the 2010s, 64 from the 1980s, 22 from the 1960s, and 17 from the 1950s. The newest permit year is 2026.

The most frequent named driller in these records is Valley Pump Company (Self, Clinton L.) with 93 wells, followed by L D Spencer Drilling And Pump (Spencer, Lonnie D.) with 70. Owner records account for 39. Those names show who appears often in the permit data, not who is available or best for your project. Confirm licensing, insurance, references, scope, and the testing included in a current proposal.

A Del Norte well budget starts with depth, not the pump package

For the mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground around Del Norte, the drilling model uses $50-$75 per foot. At the 75-foot median depth, the drilled hole models to about $3,800-$5,600. A finished system including the pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical models to about $9,800-$17,600.

That range is a planning figure, not a fixed bid. Casing, grout, difficult access, extra depth, water testing, rock or cobbles, and connection details can change the total. Have each contractor separate drilling, casing and grout, development, pump equipment, electrical, trenching, and testing. A shallow hole can still require substantial site work, and a low initial drilling price may not represent the complete operating system.

Check water quality, dry-hole exposure, and the building layout

The local records identify 771 wells with an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, 37 alluvial wells, and 31 wells in the unconfined San Luis Valley aquifer. Fractured-bedrock water can be unpredictable over short distances even when nearby wells look good. A dry hole or disappointing yield remains possible, so investigate neighboring logs before buying and ask how the contract handles an unsuccessful hole.

Within about 10 miles, mapped environmental information includes 7 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 12 historic mine features, and 5 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. This does not establish contamination at your parcel, but it supports testing the well water and reviewing site history. Place the well, septic system, driveway, house, and backup construction areas together on a sketch before excavation. Septic setbacks, access, drainage, and future repairs can affect the usable building area.

What to verify before buying or building near Del Norte

Start with the Colorado Division of Water Resources permit and well construction records for the exact property. Confirm the permitted use, total depth, static level, pump test, production equipment, and any required augmentation plan. Domestic or household use is the main recorded use at 69%, while stock appears on 33% and irrigation on 14%; those categories can overlap, so do not assume a household permit covers every intended use.

For vacant land, obtain a site-specific driller’s estimate and confirm truck access, power, trench route, and septic feasibility before making the purchase nonrefundable. For an existing home, have the well flow, pressure tank, pump, electrical controls, and water quality checked. Compare the parcel with nearby records in Gerrard, Monte Vista, Center, South Fork, or other nearby areas only as context; the exact lot and aquifer conditions control the decision.

Well permits by decade near Del Norte

What a new well costs in Del Norte, 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 (152 ft) would run roughly $13,600–$23,400. 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 Del Norte? 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 Del Norte 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 Del Norte

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