What to Expect From a Well in Grand County

How deep are wells around Grand County?

How much water do wells make near Grand County?

Budget for Bedrock, Not Just Grand County’s Median Depth

The 7,350 wells reporting depth have a median of 190 feet, with the middle half between 100 and 325 feet. That spread matters when comparing bids: a quote based only on the median leaves considerable room for additional drilling. The 90th-percentile depth is 500 feet, so deeper work is part of the local picture.

Permits classify 11,013 wells as unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer wells, compared with 46 labeled Alluvial and 28 labeled Troublesome. In granite and gneiss, usable water comes from connected fractures rather than a dependable underground layer. Around Tabernash or Hot Sulphur Springs, nearby completion logs are a better starting point than assuming the county median fits your parcel.

A Reported 9 gpm Is Useful, but Test the Actual Well

Among 3,445 wells with reported pump yields, the median is 9 gpm and the middle half runs from 6 to 11.5 gpm. Most reported results fall in the 5–15 gpm group, which accounts for 74%. Those figures are encouraging for household supply, but a completion-record yield does not establish dependable output under every operating condition.

The low end deserves attention: 14% report 1–5 gpm, and 1% report under 1 gpm. A low-producing well can require storage and careful demand management. Before buying, have sustained pumping and recovery evaluated. A larger pump cannot make the surrounding fractures deliver more water, and recorded yield does not establish permission for irrigation or other uses.

Grand County Water Levels Do Not Show a Steady Recent Drop

Static water level is where water stands in a resting well, not the bottom of the drilled hole. Among 932 reported measurements, the median is 80 feet below ground, with the middle half between 37 and 100 feet. Pump selection also needs the water level during pumping, not just this resting measurement.

Decade medians deepen from 35 feet in the 1970s to 60 in the 1980s and 90 in the 1990s. They then sit at 80 feet in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. That does not show a continuing recent countywide decline. These are measurements from different wells, however, not repeated readings from a fixed monitoring network; they cannot establish the trend at your property.

Grand County’s Busiest Permit Years and Recorded Drillers

The largest decade totals were 2,618 permits in the 1990s and 2,337 in the 2000s. Records show 970 in the 2010s and 908 in the 2020s, with the newest permit dated 2026. The current decade is incomplete, so its total is not a full-decade comparison. Permit issuance also does not mean every authorized well was built.

Mcpherson Drilling Company (Mcpherson, Benny Don) appears in 1,840 records, James Drilling (Keaton, Jordan K.) in 720, and Virginia Drilling Co. Inc. (Shuck, Otis C) in 447. These are historical record counts, not confirmation of current availability. Domestic/household use accounts for 86% of the use mix, making residential supply the dominant recorded purpose.

A New Grand County Well: Hole Price Versus Finished Supply

The local drilling model uses $65–$100 per foot for fractured mountain bedrock. At the 190-foot median depth, that puts the drilled hole at about $12,400–$19,000. A finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at $18,400–$31,000. Treat these as budgeting ranges, not parcel-specific quotes.

The 100–325-foot middle depth range explains why a single fixed allowance can miss the mark. Ask bidders how extra footage, casing and grout are charged, and what happens if the hole produces poorly. Around Winter Park or Grand Lake, have the contractor review rig access and the route to the house before pricing. Make sure every bid separates drilling from the equipment and site work needed to deliver water indoors.

Check Grand County Water Quality and Site Constraints Together

The supplied environmental inventory lists 10 PFAS sampling/contamination sites, 85 historic mine features and 5 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites within about 10 miles. Those mapped features are reasons to investigate proximity and groundwater pathways, not proof that a particular well is contaminated. A PFAS sampling location is not automatically a confirmed contamination source.

For an existing well, obtain a laboratory water test and discuss location-specific testing with the lab or local health authority. Inspect the wellhead, casing and surface drainage. For a new lot, fractured rock carries low-yield and dry-hole risk even near successful wells. Lay out the septic system, replacement area, building footprint and drilling access together so the well location meets applicable setbacks and remains accessible for service.

Before Closing on Land in Fraser, Parshall or Kremmling

Start with the parcel’s actual DWR permit and any construction, pump-installation and testing records. Confirm that the permitted uses match your plans. A household-use permit should not be assumed to cover lawn watering, livestock or another dwelling; additional uses may need different authorization or an augmentation plan, depending on the water-rights setting.

Next, compare completed wells on similar nearby terrain in Fraser, Parshall or Kremmling rather than relying on countywide averages. For an existing supply, make water quality and pumping performance part of due diligence. For vacant land, get a driller’s site review and coordinate driveway, septic and home placement before committing to a building layout. Keep deeper drilling and poor production in the financial discussion.

Well permits by decade near Grand County

What a new well costs in Grand 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 (325 ft) would run roughly $27,125–$44,500. 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 Grand 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 Grand 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 Grand County

Keep researching

Towns and areas in Grand County

Neighboring counties