Fruita, Colorado Well Depths, Yields, and Costs

How deep are wells around Fruita?

How much water do wells make near Fruita?

Fruita well depths vary from shallow to very deep

The median reported well depth near Fruita is 200 feet. The middle half runs from 15 to 300 feet, while the 90th percentile is 400 feet. The deepest record reaches 1,030 feet. Depth records are also unevenly distributed: 47% are under 100 feet, 18% fall between 100 and 300 feet, 31% are between 300 and 600 feet, and 4% exceed 600 feet.

That spread matters when comparing drilling bids. A contractor may price a straightforward shallow hole very differently from a deeper or more difficult well. The records name mostly unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifers, with 339 wells in that category, 8 alluvial wells, and 2 Entrada wells. In fractured ground, water-bearing cracks can be unpredictable, so nearby depth alone is not a promise for your parcel.

Reported Fruita well yields are generally workable

Only 22 wells in the records report a pump yield, so treat the production statistics as a local guide rather than a guarantee. The median reported yield is 9.5 gallons per minute, with the middle half between 5.2 and 18.8 gallons per minute. Half of the reported wells produce between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, while 32% report more than 15 gallons per minute.

Another 18% report between 1 and 5 gallons per minute, and none of the reported wells are under 1 gallon per minute. A lower-yield well can still serve a household when storage and pump sizing are handled correctly, but it gives less margin for irrigation or other uses. Confirm the permitted use, pumping test, recovery, and storage plan before relying on a yield number.

The Fruita water table looks shallow, but the trend is unclear

Only 8 wells report a static water level. Among those records, the median depth to water is 8 feet, and the middle half runs from 4 to 18 feet. That suggests groundwater may be relatively shallow at some Fruita locations, especially in alluvial settings, but it should not be read as a site-specific water level.

The permit records supplied here do not provide enough water-level observations by decade to establish a reliable rising or falling trend. Seasonal conditions, pumping, irrigation, and the exact well location can all affect a measurement. Ask for the well construction report and the measured static level for any existing well, then have a driller evaluate how that information applies to the proposed well location.

Fruita permit history shows long-running drilling activity

Permit activity near Fruita stretches from the 1950s through the newest permit year, 2024. The records list 7 permits in the 1950s, 6 in the 1960s, 2 in the 1970s, 19 in the 1980s, 74 in the 1990s, 85 in the 2000s, 56 in the 2010s, and 23 in the 2020s. That history confirms sustained development, but it does not mean every parcel has the same access to groundwater.

The most active driller names in these records are Authorized (Pe, Pg), Rocky Mountain Drlg./Pump Svcs (Wisener, A. L.), and Artesian Services Inc. (Himes, Brad). These are permit-record entries, not recommendations. Compare current licensing, insurance, scope of work, casing and grout specifications, testing, and references before choosing a contractor.

What a new Fruita well may cost

The local cost model assumes mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground. A typical drilling rate is $50 to $75 per foot. At the 200-foot median depth, the drilled hole is modeled at about $10,000 to $15,000. That is only the drilling portion, not the complete water system.

A finished well with a pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is modeled at about $16,000 to $27,000. The final bid can change with depth, casing and grout requirements, access, difficult ground, power distance, pump selection, and water testing. Ask each bidder to separate drilling, construction, pump equipment, trenching, electrical, testing, and any permitting or site work so proposals can be compared directly.

Fruita buyers should check water quality and site limits

The mapped area within about 10 miles contains 38 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 1 historic mine feature, and 3 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Those locations do not prove that a particular well is contaminated, but they are a reason to review environmental records and test existing or new well water. A private well owner is responsible for understanding the water quality at the tap.

Low yield, a dry hole, poor construction, and an unsuitable well location are separate risks. Confirm setback requirements from septic components, available space for a replacement or storage system, and access for a drilling rig. Domestic, stock, irrigation, and monitoring uses appear in the permit records, so confirm that the existing permit allows the use you plan. Colorado DWR requirements and any augmentation plan issues should be checked before construction or a change in use.

Use the records before buying a Fruita lot

Start with the parcel’s permit number, well construction report, pump test, static water level, water-quality results, and legal use. Then review neighboring wells, particularly on the same side of the valley or in the same geologic setting. Nearby Loma and Redlands records may help with context, while Grand Junction is farther away and may not represent the same ground conditions.

For a vacant lot, get a driller’s opinion on access, likely depth, casing and grout, pump placement, and the chance of needing storage. For an existing home, inspect the pressure system and test flow and recovery rather than relying only on a seller’s description. If the plan includes irrigation, livestock, or more than ordinary household use, verify the water right and permit before treating the well as adequate.

Well permits by decade near Fruita

What a new well costs in Fruita, 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 (300 ft) would run roughly $21,000–$34,500. 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 Fruita? 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 Fruita 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 Fruita

Keep researching

More in Mesa County

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

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