El Moro, Colorado Well Depths, Yields, and Costs

How deep are wells around El Moro?

How much water do wells make near El Moro?

What well depth looks like around El Moro

El Moro wells are commonly shallow compared with many mountain and fractured-granite areas. The median recorded depth is 56 feet, and the middle half of wells falls between 40 and 150 feet. About 62% are under 100 feet, while 26% fall from 100 to 300 feet.

There are deeper exceptions. The 90th percentile is 300 feet, and the deepest recorded well reaches 780 feet. For a drilling bid, that spread matters: a shallow estimate may fit much of the local record, but your lot can still require substantially more footage based on the local formation, water-bearing zones, casing, and the driller's experience near the property.

Expected well yield on the El Moro plains

Reported yields are generally useful, but the data set is limited because only 12 permits report a pump yield. Among those records, the median is 11.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half between 6.5 and 15.0 gallons per minute.

The yield mix is encouraging for many domestic buyers: 50% report 5 to 15 gallons per minute, and 33% report more than 15 gallons per minute. Still, 8% are under 1 gallon per minute, and another 8% are from 1 to 5 gallons per minute. Ask for the well-completion report and a current pump test before assuming a stock, irrigation, or larger household supply is adequate.

Water levels and what the records can tell you

The available static-water data show a median depth to water of 34 feet, with the middle half from 26 to 42 feet. That is useful when estimating pump placement and evaluating an existing well, but only 2 wells report a static water level.

Because the sample is so small, it does not establish a reliable water-table trend for El Moro. The permit history also does not provide enough static measurements by decade to conclude that the water table is falling or stable. Have the current owner document the water level, pump performance, and recovery behavior. A driller can compare those observations with nearby wells in El Moro, Hoehne, and Trinidad.

Permit history and drillers active near El Moro

The local record is long but uneven. Permits were issued from the 1950s through the 2020s, with the newest permit dated 2025. The largest groups are from the 1990s, with 46 permits, and the 2000s, with 41. There are 153 wells in the surrounding permit records, while 87 are recorded as constructed and 93 report a total depth.

Boday Well Drilling appears most often, listed under Boday, Alex with 32 records and Boday, Kathleen with 19. Authorized (Pe, Pg) appears on 10. These names describe permit history, not a recommendation. Before hiring, confirm current licensing, insurance, availability, and experience at your exact site.

What drilling a new well may cost at El Moro

For local alluvium and plains sedimentary rock, the drilling model uses about $35 to $55 per foot. At the median depth of 56 feet, the drilled hole alone models at approximately $2,000 to $3,100. That is not the complete water system.

A finished well including the pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is modeled at about $8,000 to $15,100 at that median depth. A deeper hole, difficult access, additional casing or grout, or challenging electrical and trench work can move the bid beyond that range. Get a written scope that separates footage, casing, development, pump equipment, testing, trenching, and electrical work.

Risks to check before buying or building

Low yield and dry-hole risk remain important even though the reported median yield is 11.0 gallons per minute. The records include 8% of wells under 1 gallon per minute, and reported yields exist for only 12 wells. Confirm the actual well's production, storage capacity, recovery, and water quality instead of relying only on nearby averages.

Environmental review also matters. Within about ten miles, the map shows 13 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 164 historic mine features, with 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Test existing water and locate septic systems, replacement areas, driveways, and building envelopes before construction. Colorado DWR permits and exempt household-use rules control what the well may legally serve; over-appropriated basins may require an augmentation plan.

A practical plan for an El Moro lot

Start with the DWR permit, well construction report, pump information, and a current water test. Confirm the recorded depth against the actual casing and pump setup, then compare the property with nearby wells rather than using a countywide assumption. The local aquifer labels are mostly unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, with 148 wells in that category; 4 name Pierre Shale and 1 names Denver.

For a new build, have the driller, septic designer, and excavator review the lot together. Plan access for the rig, protect well and septic separation, and verify the legal use before designing irrigation or stock facilities. A well can make adequate water and still require careful storage, treatment, electrical, and seasonal management.

Well permits by decade near El Moro

What a new well costs in El Moro, 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 $11,250–$20,250. 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 El Moro? 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 El Moro 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 El Moro

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

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