Gerrard, Colorado Well Depth, Yield, and Cost

How deep are wells around Gerrard?

How much water do wells make near Gerrard?

Gerrard well depths vary sharply across the valley

Reported well depth near Gerrard has a 64-foot median, with the middle half running from 45 to 219 feet. Sixty percent of recorded wells are under 100 feet, while 21% fall between 100 and 300 feet. Another 15% are between 300 and 600 feet, and 4% exceed 600 feet. The deepest recorded well is 1,600 feet.

That spread matters when you request a drilling bid. A nearby shallow well is encouraging, but it does not set the price for every parcel. Permits commonly name an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, with other records identifying the Unconfined San Luis Valley aquifer. In mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground, the driller still has to locate the productive water-bearing layer and build the casing and grout for the actual conditions.

Local well yields usually support household use

The median reported yield around Gerrard is 13.0 gallons per minute, and the middle half is 10.0 to 15.0 gallons per minute. Forty-six percent of wells report more than 15 gallons per minute, while 45% fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute. Seven percent report 1 to 5 gallons per minute, and 2% report under 1 gallon per minute.

For a buyer, the small low-yield share is reassuring but not a promise. A well test measures the completed well, not the entire property. Ask for the permit, construction record, pump information, and any sustained production test. Most permits are domestic or household use, at 82% of the records. Stock use accounts for 7%, irrigation 1%, and monitoring 5%, so verify that the permit matches the use you intend.

Water levels near Gerrard do not show a simple one-way drop

Among the 161 records reporting static water level, the median depth to water is 30 feet below the surface. The middle half runs from 14 to 90 feet. That range affects pump setting, trench planning, and the amount of casing or pumping equipment a contractor may recommend.

The decade figures do not show a steady decline in the recorded median. The median was 30 feet below surface in the 2000s, 42 feet in the 2010s, and 30 feet in the 2020s. These measurements come from different wells and dates, so they are a local reference rather than a parcel-specific groundwater forecast. Have the driller check nearby well logs and confirm the static level after completion, particularly if your lot is close to Alpine, South Fork, or another area with different ground conditions.

Gerrard has a long permit history and several recurring drillers

Permit activity shows sustained development rather than a brand-new well field. Records include 3 permits from the 1950s, 11 from the 1960s, 190 from the 1970s, 222 from the 1980s, 478 from the 1990s, 462 from the 2000s, 198 from the 2010s, and 193 from the 2020s. The newest permit year in the records is 2026.

The most active names are Valley Pump Company, identified with Clinton L. Self, at 412 records; American Drilling Service, identified with Bradford W. Dewberry, at 254; and L D Spencer Drilling And Pump, identified with Lonnie D. Spencer, at 118. Those records can help you compare local experience, but confirm current licensing, availability, scope, and the exact work included in a bid.

What a new Gerrard well may cost

For the mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground modeled near Gerrard, a typical drilling rate is $50 to $75 per foot. At the local median depth of 64 feet, the drilled hole works out to about $3,200 to $4,800. That is the hole only, not the complete water system.

A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is modeled at about $9,200 to $16,800. A deeper-than-typical hole, difficult access, extra casing, unexpected formations, or a low-yield result can change the final price. Ask every driller to separate footage, casing and grout, development, pump equipment, electrical, trenching, testing, and permits. Comparing bids on the same scope is more useful than comparing one total number.

Check water quality, dry-hole risk, and the building layout

Mapped environmental information within about 10 miles includes 2 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 58 historic mine features. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in that area. Those facts do not establish a problem on your lot, but they are enough reason to test the finished well and review nearby land uses before closing.

Low yield and dry holes remain possible even where nearby records look favorable. Have the driller review neighboring logs, proposed well location, access, and the distance to septic and the house. A new septic system needs suitable soils and adequate separation from the well. Building plans also need room for the wellhead, pressure equipment, electrical service, septic area, driveway, and repair access. Confirm the DWR permit type and any water-rights or augmentation requirements before construction.

A practical purchase plan for a Gerrard lot

Start with the specific parcel, not the county average. Pull nearby DWR permits and construction records, paying attention to depth, reported yield, static water level, aquifer name, and the intended use. The records within five miles give Gerrard a useful baseline, but the 45-to-219-foot middle depth range shows why one neighbor is not enough evidence.

Before buying, make the contract and due-diligence period long enough for a well-location review, water-quality testing where appropriate, and a realistic drilling estimate. Price the complete system rather than the hole alone. If the parcel is near South Fork, Alpine, or farther toward Del Norte, compare local records without assuming the geology is identical. For a build, coordinate the well, septic, driveway, power trench, and house pad before equipment arrives.

Well permits by decade near Gerrard

What a new well costs in Gerrard, 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 (219 ft) would run roughly $16,950–$28,425. 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 Gerrard? 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 Gerrard 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 Gerrard

Keep researching

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

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