Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Adams County › Derby
A shallow well record near Derby does not necessarily describe a household water supply. Within 5 miles, Colorado DWR records contain 8,934 permits, and monitoring accounts for 62% of the listed uses. Domestic and household uses account for 15%.
The area’s 35 ft median depth is useful background, but a buyer needs comparable supply wells—not just the nearest dots on the map. That distinction matters when checking properties around Derby, Welby, North Washington and Henderson.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Derby. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 22 |
| Median | 35 |
| 75th percentile | 50 |
| 90th percentile | 115 |
| Deepest on record | 1,626 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 6,485 |
| Alluvial | 1,087 |
| Denver | 162 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 14.0 |
| Median | 30.0 |
| 75th percentile | 200.0 |
| Median depth to water | 9 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 30 ft |
| 2000s | 21 ft |
| 2010s | 9 ft |
| 2020s | 8 ft |
Among 5,075 records reporting depth, the median is 35 ft and the middle half spans 22–50 ft. Under 100 ft accounts for 89%, while the 90th-percentile depth is 115 ft. For a comparable shallow well, that middle range helps frame a drilling bid. It is not a reliable budget range for every domestic supply.
Permit aquifer labels include Alluvial on 1,087 wells and Denver on 162. Another 6,485 have an unnamed / fractured-bedrock classification; that combined label does not establish fractured granite beneath Derby. The deepest record reaches 1,626 ft. Confirm the intended aquifer and neighboring household-well depths before specifying footage.
Only 232 Derby-area records report pump yield. Their median is 30.0 gpm, with a middle half of 14.0–200.0 gpm. The reported distribution places 75% at 15+ gpm and 24% at 5–15 gpm. Those figures suggest substantial output among reporting wells, not a guaranteed supply beneath an untested lot.
The reported share below 1 gpm is 0%, and 1% falls in the 1–5 gpm category. That does not establish that dry holes or poorly performing wells are absent. For a purchase, obtain a current pumping and recovery test. Recorded pump yield also does not establish what uses or pumping are legally allowed.
The 258 records with static water levels show a median depth to water of 9 ft, with the middle half at 6–22 ft. Static level is where water stands when the well is resting; it is not total well depth or the level during pumping.
Decade medians move from 30 ft below surface in the 1960s to 21 ft in the 2000s, 9 ft in the 2010s and 8 ft in the 2020s. This series does not show a dropping water table. It also does not prove a rise at your property, because different wells and aquifers may be represented. Shallow groundwater deserves attention when planning excavation and septic suitability.
Permit activity rose from 627 in the 1980s to 1,460 in the 1990s. The 2010s account for 2,205 permits; the 2020s contain 716, with the newest permit dated 2025. The current decade is incomplete, so those totals are not a clean measure of declining demand. Of all permits, 4,490 are recorded as constructed.
The largest driller-field entry is “Authorized (Pe, Pg)” at 2,457 records. Treat it as a record label, not a contractor recommendation. Named entries include Layne, Christensen Co. (Tormoehlen, David A.) at 188 and Boyles Bros. Drilling Co. (Lensch, George E) at 156. Historical activity does not establish current availability.
The supplied cost model uses Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock at $50–$70 per foot. At the 35 ft median depth, it estimates about $1,800–$2,400 for the drilled hole and $7,800–$14,400 for a finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical.
Use that as a preliminary allowance, not a household-well quote. Monitoring wells dominate the local records, and a domestic well may need a different depth or construction method. Ask for a written scope identifying the target aquifer, casing, grout, pump equipment and utility route. Clarify how additional footage, testing, treatment and difficult access would be priced rather than assuming they are covered.
Within about 10 miles, the environmental mapping lists 645 PFAS sampling/contamination sites, 171 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites and 1 historic mine feature. These are screening flags, not proof that a particular Derby well is contaminated. A sampling location is not automatically a confirmed contamination source.
Have the actual supply tested through a qualified laboratory, including routine drinking-water checks and site-specific contaminants recommended after reviewing nearby records. Inspect casing, grout and surface drainage as well. The dataset provides no dry-hole rate, so it cannot settle that risk. Before building, have the well location, septic suitability, required separations and excavation conditions reviewed together.
Start with the parcel’s DWR permit, construction report and any pumping-test records. Confirm that the permit authorizes the intended household, outdoor or other use; an existing well does not automatically authorize a new use. In an over-appropriated basin, some proposed uses may require augmentation rather than a straightforward exempt permit.
Compare nearby wells around Welby, North Washington or Henderson only when their use, aquifer and construction resemble your project. For an existing home, make satisfactory yield, water quality and legal supply part of purchase due diligence. For vacant land, verify the available water-supply path before committing to a house, driveway and septic layout.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 358 |
| 1960s | 365 |
| 1970s | 202 |
| 1980s | 627 |
| 1990s | 1,460 |
| 2000s | 1,229 |
| 2010s | 2,205 |
| 2020s | 716 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 2,457 |
| Layne, Christensen Co. (Tormoehlen, David A.) | 188 |
| Boyles Bros. Drilling Co. (Lensch, George E) | 156 |
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 (50 ft) would run roughly $8,500–$15,500. 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 DerbyFor a Derby lot, water supply, access and septic planning need to fit the same site layout. Tri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor for access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems and custom homes.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Derby 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 Derby. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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Within 5 miles of Derby, the median reported well depth is 35 ft, and the middle half is 22–50 ft. However, monitoring accounts for 62% of recorded uses. Those shallow records should not be treated as a domestic-well design. Check neighboring household wells in the same aquifer before budgeting or requesting a drilling bid.
The supplied model estimates $50–$70 per foot for Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock. At the local 35 ft median depth, the drilled hole is about $1,800–$2,400, and a finished well is about $7,800–$14,400 with pump, tank, trenching and electrical. A household well may require different footage, so get a site-specific quote.
The permit records cannot establish drinking-water safety. Environmental mapping within about 10 miles includes 645 PFAS sampling/contamination sites and 171 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites, but proximity alone does not prove contamination in a well. Test the actual supply, review nearby environmental records and inspect well construction before relying on it for drinking water.
The 232 records reporting yield have a median of 30.0 gpm and a middle range of 14.0–200.0 gpm. Reported yields are generally strong, but the sample does not guarantee performance on your lot. For an existing well, request a pumping and recovery test and verify that its permit allows your intended use.
The available decade medians do not show a dropping water table: depth to water decreases from 30 ft in the 1960s to 8 ft in the 2020s. However, these are not necessarily repeated measurements of the same wells. The overall median is 9 ft; property-specific monitoring is needed to establish a local trend.
All wells in Adams County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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