Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Adams County › Federal Heights
Federal Heights sits on the plains in Adams County, where nearby well records show unusually shallow typical depths but a wide range of conditions. Within 5 miles, the median well depth is 28 feet, and the middle half runs from 20 to 50 feet. The deepest recorded well reaches 1,751 feet.
That shallow median does not guarantee a shallow or inexpensive well on a particular lot. The records include fractured-bedrock and Denver Basin aquifer wells, and local construction, casing, pump equipment, trenching and electrical work all affect the final price. Use nearby permits as a starting point, then have a driller evaluate the specific parcel.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Federal Heights. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 20 |
| Median | 28 |
| 75th percentile | 50 |
| 90th percentile | 300 |
| Deepest on record | 1,751 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 4,591 |
| Alluvial | 466 |
| Quaternary Alluvium | 108 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 10.0 |
| Median | 15.0 |
| 75th percentile | 72.5 |
| Median depth to water | 16 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 20 ft |
| 2010s | 16 ft |
| 2020s | 14 ft |
Most recorded wells near Federal Heights are shallow: 82% are under 100 feet. The median is 28 feet, with the middle half between 20 and 50 feet. That range is useful when asking for a drilling bid because a contractor can compare your lot with nearby permits instead of assuming every well needs to reach the same formation.
The outliers matter. Seven percent of wells fall from 100 to 300 feet, 6% from 300 to 600 feet, and 5% exceed 600 feet. The deepest record is 1,751 feet. Local geology includes Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock and permits naming unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifers, so depth can change sharply from one property to the next.
Among the 166 wells that report a pump yield, the median is 15.0 gallons per minute. The middle half runs from 10.0 to 72.5 gallons per minute. Reported results are strong overall: 55% produce more than 15 gallons per minute, while 35% fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute.
Low-yield wells are still part of the local picture. Seven percent report under 1 gallon per minute and another 4% report between 1 and 5 gallons per minute. A buyer should not treat the median as a guarantee. Ask for the well test, storage capacity and permitted use. An exempt household-use well also has a 35 gallon-per-minute pumping limit, even if the aquifer could produce more.
Static water level means the distance from the ground surface down to the water when the well is not being pumped. The local median is 16 feet, with the middle half between 11 and 36 feet. That generally indicates relatively shallow groundwater in the records, but the measurement can vary with location, season, well construction and nearby pumping.
The decade medians do not show a dropping water table in this dataset. Recorded depth to water was 20 feet in the 1960s, 16 feet in the 2010s and 14 feet in the 2020s. Those figures come from only 82 reported static-water-level measurements, so use them as local context rather than a parcel-specific prediction.
The permit history is substantial, with 6,071 wells in Colorado Division of Water Resources records and 2,826 recorded as constructed. The busiest period was the 2000s, with 1,298 permits, followed by the 1990s with 1,153 and the 2010s with 1,012. The newest permit year in the records is 2025.
The most active names in this local record are Authorized (Pe, Pg), with 2,067 entries, Layne, Christensen Co. (Tormoehlen, David A.), with 109, and Ground Exploration LLC (Bender, Joseph T.), with 105. Many permits are monitoring wells: 61% of the use mix. Domestic or household wells account for 18%, so monitoring records should not be used as direct proof of household water performance.
The local drilling cost model uses roughly $50 to $70 per foot in Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock. At the 28-foot median depth, the drilled hole alone models to about $1,400 to $2,000. That is the drilling portion, not the price of a functioning water system.
A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical work models to about $7,400 to $14,000 at the median depth. A deeper hole, difficult access, extra casing or unusual site work can move the bid higher. Get the contractor to separate drilling, casing and grout, pump equipment, electrical service, trenching and testing so competing bids are actually comparable.
Water quality deserves its own investigation. Within about 10 miles, the mapped records include 687 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 166 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. There are also 13 historic mine features. These locations do not prove that a specific well is contaminated, but they are a reason to review environmental records and test existing or newly drilled water before relying on it.
Low yield and dry-hole risk remain possible despite the 15.0-gallon-per-minute median because only 166 wells report yield. Check the well permit, completion report, water test and pumping history. Confirm that the well permit allows the intended household use, and coordinate septic, building setbacks, access and utility trenching before finalizing a site plan. In an over-appropriated basin, an augmentation plan may be required for some uses.
Start with the closest comparable permits, not the countywide average. Shaw Heights is about 1 mile away, Sherrelwood about 2 miles, and Westminster, Twin Lakes and Welby about 3 miles. Northglenn is about 4 miles away. Compare depth, aquifer description, yield and static water level, while remembering that monitoring wells and household wells serve different purposes.
For a purchase, make the existing well records and a current water test part of due diligence. For a new build, have a licensed driller review the parcel before designing the house, driveway and septic system. Confirm the DWR permit path, expected well location, pump power, storage and service access. The shallow local median can simplify drilling, but the deeper records show why a site-specific bid still matters.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 190 |
| 1960s | 191 |
| 1970s | 171 |
| 1980s | 251 |
| 1990s | 1,153 |
| 2000s | 1,298 |
| 2010s | 1,012 |
| 2020s | 512 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 2,067 |
| Layne, Christensen Co. (Tormoehlen, David A.) | 109 |
| Ground Exploration Llc (Bender, Joseph T.) | 105 |
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 Federal HeightsTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Federal Heights and the surrounding Adams County area. The company handles access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems and custom homes.
Licensed Colorado custom home builder · licensed driveway & excavation contractor · licensed septic installer
A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Federal Heights 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 Federal Heights. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median recorded depth within 5 miles of Federal Heights is 28 feet, and the middle half runs from 20 to 50 feet. About 82% are under 100 feet. Depth is not uniform: the records include wells over 600 feet and a deepest recorded well at 1,751 feet, so nearby permits are useful but do not guarantee a depth for your lot.
The local model uses $50 to $70 per foot. At the 28-foot median depth, drilling the hole models to about $1,400 to $2,000. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at about $7,400 to $14,000. A deeper well, difficult access, casing, grout or site-specific electrical work can change the bid.
Among 166 wells reporting a pump yield, the median is 15.0 gallons per minute and the middle half is 10.0 to 72.5 gallons per minute. Seven percent report under 1 gallon per minute, while 55% report more than 15 gallons per minute. Treat these as area records, not a guarantee for an untested property.
Safety cannot be determined from depth or yield alone. Within about 10 miles, mapped records include 687 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 166 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Those records do not prove contamination at your well. Test the existing or new well through a qualified laboratory and review nearby environmental records before drinking the water.
The reported decade medians do not indicate a dropping water table: median depth to water was 20 feet in the 1960s, 16 feet in the 2010s and 14 feet in the 2020s. Only 82 wells report static water level, so this is regional context rather than a prediction for one property. Seasonal conditions and pumping can affect an individual measurement.
All wells in Adams County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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