What to Expect From a Well in Elbert County

How deep are wells around Elbert County?

How much water do wells make near Elbert County?

From Ponderosa Park to Matheson, Depth Follows the Aquifer

Of the 10,532 wells reporting depth, the median is 341 feet and the middle half fall between 225 and 450 feet. For a drilling bid, that means the median is a planning allowance—not a depth the contractor can promise. The 90th-percentile depth is 615 feet, so deeper work is a real possibility.

Denver Basin aquifer wells account for 97% of the records. Upper Dawson and Denver are prominent named aquifers, and the cost model assumes sedimentary bedrock. Ask which aquifer the proposed well will target. Compare completed wells near Ponderosa Park, Elizabeth, Simla or Matheson in that same aquifer rather than treating every county well as a comparable.

What Elbert County's Reported Yields Mean for a Household

The 7,456 records with pump yields show a median of 12.0 gpm, with the middle half between 10.0 and 14.0 gpm. That is an encouraging household supply benchmark, provided the well can sustain it. A reported pumping rate is not the same as a long-duration test of dependable production.

The yield summary places 5% in the 1-5 gpm range and reports 0% below 1 gpm. Do not read that as a guarantee against a weak well; the summary covers reported yields, not every permit. Before buying, have the well's sustained output, recovery and pressure equipment evaluated. Also verify permitted uses before assuming household water can serve livestock or irrigation.

Water Levels Are Deeper Than Early Records, but Not Steadily Falling

Static water level is the resting depth to water, not the bottom of the drilled hole. Among 1,029 reporting wells, the median is 165 feet below ground, with the middle half at 97-240 feet. That distinction matters when evaluating pump placement and the water available above the pump during use.

Decade medians deepen from 30 feet in the 1950s to 222 feet in the 1990s, then fluctuate: 197 in the 2000s, 160 in the 2010s and 185 in the 2020s. The series suggests deeper water than in early records, but not a steady countywide decline. These are different groups of measurements, not repeated monitoring of the same wells.

Elbert County's Drilling Record Runs Through 2026

Permit issuance was highest in the supplied decade totals during the 1990s, with 4,138 permits, followed by 3,479 in the 2000s. The records show 2,240 in the 2010s and 1,404 in the 2020s, with the newest permit dated 2026. The current decade is incomplete, and issuance does not establish when construction actually happened.

The most active drillers listed are Hamacher Well Works Inc with 3,994 records, Parker Drilling/Pump Service Inc. with 1,395, and Hier Drilling Co Inc with 1,163. Those counts show historical involvement, not current availability. When requesting a bid, ask about recent work near your property and experience with the proposed aquifer.

Budgeting a New Well Near Elizabeth, Kiowa or Elbert

The supplied drilling model uses $50-$70 per foot for Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock. At the county's 341-foot median depth, that puts the drilled hole at about $17,000-$23,900. A finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at $23,000-$35,900.

Use that range to screen a project budget, not as a parcel-specific quote. A deeper aquifer target, difficult equipment access or a long utility route can change the scope. Have bids spell out casing, grout, pump equipment and connection work. On land near Elizabeth, Kiowa or Elbert, settle the likely house location and access route before comparing finished-well proposals.

Check Water Quality and Site Constraints Before Closing

The supplied environmental mapping identifies 40 PFAS sampling/contamination sites, 5 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites and 1 historic mine feature within about 10 miles. These are screening flags, not evidence that a particular Elbert County well is contaminated. Check the actual site locations and available findings before deciding what testing the property needs.

For an existing well, arrange laboratory testing rather than judging safety by taste or clarity. Have casing and wellhead condition checked, along with septic placement and drainage around the well. For undeveloped land, discuss low-production or unsuccessful drilling terms with the driller before work starts. Keep the well, septic area, driveway and building footprint coordinated.

Buying Elbert County Land: Verify the Well Before the House Plan

Start with the parcel's DWR permit, construction report and pump record. Confirm that an existing well belongs to the property and that its authorized uses match your plans. A household-use authorization should not be assumed to allow lawn irrigation or stock watering. Ask DWR what permit and water-right requirements apply before committing to a new well.

Then compare nearby completed wells around your actual location—Elizabeth, Kiowa, Elbert, Simla or Matheson—not just the county median. Match aquifer names where available. Make the purchase decision with a water-quality report, a production assessment and a site layout that leaves workable room for drilling access, septic approval and the proposed home.

Well permits by decade near Elbert County

What a new well costs in Elbert County

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 (450 ft) would run roughly $28,500–$43,500. 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 Elbert County? 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 Elbert County 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 Elbert County

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Towns and areas in Elbert County

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