Dove Creek Colorado Well Depth, Yield and Cost Guide

How deep are wells around Dove Creek?

How much water do wells make near Dove Creek?

Dove Creek well depths reflect fractured mountain rock

Among the 79 constructed wells that report total depth, the median is 152 feet. The middle half runs from 120 to 215 feet, which is a useful range for early budgeting but not a guarantee for a particular parcel. A driller's bid should allow for local variation in the bedrock.

Most recorded wells, 73%, are between 100 and 300 feet. Another 19% are under 100 feet, while 6% fall between 300 and 600 feet and 1% reach beyond 600 feet. The deepest record is 640 feet. Permits identify the local water source mainly as unnamed fractured-bedrock aquifer, with a small number naming the Dakota aquifer or Dakota Group Aquifer.

What a Dove Creek well may produce

The reported yield median is 5.0 gallons per minute, and the middle half of reported results is 4.5 to 13.0 gallons per minute. The mix is broad: 11% of wells report under 1 gallon per minute, 22% report 1 to 5, 44% report 5 to 15, and 22% report more than 15.

Only 9 permitted wells report a pump yield, so these figures are a guide rather than a complete survey of every well. A low-producing well may still work for a household with adequate storage, but the buyer should ask how the yield was tested, how long the test ran and what the well is legally permitted to serve. Household-use exempt wells remain subject to their permit conditions.

Dove Creek water levels and what the records show

Only 4 wells report a static water level, so the local water-level sample is limited. Within that small record set, the median depth to water is 95 feet, with the middle half from 72 to 122 feet. That is useful for planning pump setting and trench work, but it should not be treated as a complete groundwater map.

The permit counts by decade do not establish a water-table trend. They show activity rather than repeated water-level measurements: 4 permits in the 1960s, 17 in the 1970s, 19 in the 1980s, 8 in the 1990s, 13 in the 2000s, 6 in the 2010s and 5 in the 2020s. A parcel-specific water-level check is more meaningful than assuming the table is rising or falling across Dove Creek.

Who drilled near Dove Creek and when permits were issued

Dove Creek's permit history is spread across several decades, with the newest permit in 2024. The records include 110 wells, of which 79 are recorded as constructed. That difference matters: a permit map is not the same as a map of completed, working wells, and buyers should review the actual construction and pump information for nearby parcels.

The most active drillers in the records are Kilby'S Water Well Service, also listed as Kilby, Edward E, with 12 wells; Fritz Erickson Mining, also listed as Erickson, Richard, with 8; and Mcpherson Drilling Co., also listed as Mcpherson, Billy G., with 8. These names describe permit history, not a recommendation or a current quote. Confirm licensing, availability and scope directly before hiring.

Dove Creek well drilling cost in fractured bedrock

The cost model for Dove Creek assumes fractured mountain bedrock such as granite or gneiss. At the 152-foot median depth, drilling alone is estimated at $9,900 to $15,200, based on a rate of $65 to $100 per foot. The finished well estimate is $15,900 to $27,200 after adding a pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical work.

Those figures are tied to the median depth, not a guaranteed bid. A 300-foot or deeper hole can move the budget substantially, while access, casing, grout, water testing, power distance, storage requirements and difficult drilling conditions can also change the total. Ask for a written estimate that separates drilling from completion and clearly states what happens if the hole is dry or produces too little water.

Dove Creek risks to check before building

Yield is the first practical risk. Eleven percent of reported wells produce under 1 gallon per minute, and fractured rock can change quickly across short distances. The permit data also include 7 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 4 historic mine features within about 10 miles. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in that mapped area, but that does not replace testing the well serving the property.

Check the well permit, construction report, pump test and recent water-quality results. Review casing and grout details, then locate the septic system and reserve area before finalizing a house site. Septic setbacks, access for a drill rig, electrical service and a dependable year-round driveway can be as important as the estimated hole depth. Ask Colorado DWR about permit limits, and confirm whether an augmentation plan is needed in the applicable basin.

A sensible plan for a Dove Creek lot

Before closing, compare the subject parcel with nearby permitted wells and focus on wells that are actually constructed and report depth, yield or water level. The records around Lewis, Dolores, Cortez, Naturita, Redvale and Towaoc can provide broader regional context, but conditions at the lot still control the decision.

For a new build, obtain a site-specific drilling proposal, confirm the intended domestic or household use, and budget for the complete system rather than the drilled hole alone. Have the water tested before relying on it, and make sure the septic layout, driveway and building envelope work together. If the proposed well is weak, storage may help, but it does not solve every permit, water-quality or long-term reliability problem.

Well permits by decade near Dove Creek

What a new well costs in Dove Creek, 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 (215 ft) would run roughly $19,975–$33,500. 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 Dove Creek? 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 Dove Creek 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 Dove Creek

Keep researching

More in Dolores County

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

Nearby areas