Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Routt County › Hayden
Buying land near Hayden means paying close attention to the well record, not just the listing description. Within 5 miles of Hayden, Colorado, DWR records include 445 permitted wells. Of those, 249 are recorded as constructed, 243 report total depth, 33 report pump yield, and 41 report static water level.
The local pattern is unusual for a mountain area: the median recorded well is only 30 feet deep, while the middle half runs from 15 to 240 feet. Most permits identify an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer. That combination means one nearby shallow well may not predict the result on the next lot.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Hayden. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 15 |
| Median | 30 |
| 75th percentile | 240 |
| 90th percentile | 429 |
| Deepest on record | 3,086 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 429 |
| Alluvial | 5 |
| Mancos | 1 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 5.0 |
| Median | 8.0 |
| 75th percentile | 15.0 |
| Median depth to water | 5 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 ft |
Recorded depth near Hayden has a 30-foot median, with the middle half between 15 and 240 feet. The depth spread matters more than the median when you are asking for a drilling bid. A driller may encounter shallow water in one location and fractured rock requiring a much deeper hole a short distance away.
The depth mix shows that 64% of recorded wells are under 100 feet. Another 14% are 100 to 300 feet deep, 17% fall between 300 and 600 feet, and 5% exceed 600 feet. The 90th-percentile depth is 429 feet, and the deepest record is 3,086 feet.
Most permits name an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer. Granite and gneiss can produce water through fractures rather than through a uniform underground layer, so neighboring well depths are useful evidence but not a guarantee.
Only 33 wells in the records report a pump yield, so the yield statistics are a limited local sample. Among those reports, the median is 8.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 5.0 to 15.0 gallons per minute.
Six percent of reported yields are under 1 gallon per minute. Another 12% are between 1 and 5 gallons per minute, while 48% fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute and 33% exceed 15 gallons per minute. A result under 1 gallon per minute is a serious constraint for a residence unless storage and the intended use are designed around it.
Ask for the well-construction report, pump test information, storage capacity, and permitted use. A strong-looking yield does not by itself confirm that a proposed household use is legally covered.
Only 41 wells report a static water level. In that group, the median depth to water is 5 feet, and the middle half is 4 to 6 feet. Those figures suggest shallow reported water levels in the sampled wells, but they do not describe every parcel or guarantee that water will be reached at the same elevation.
The permit counts by decade do not show a water-level trend; they show when permits were issued. Records include 4 permits from the 1950s, 1 from the 1960s, 34 from the 1970s, 36 from the 1980s, 77 from the 1990s, 52 from the 2000s, 46 from the 2010s, and 73 from the 2020s. The newest permit year is 2025.
For a purchase, compare static water levels from nearby wells and ask whether measurements were taken before or after pumping.
Hayden’s permit history is spread across several decades, with the largest recorded decade being the 1990s at 77 permits. The 2020s account for 73 permits, and the newest permit year in the records is 2025. That recent activity means nearby records may be more useful than relying only on older ranch or household wells.
The most active driller names in the records are Authorized (Pe, Pg), associated with 70 wells; Routt Drilling Co. (Ozbun, Jerald A.), associated with 36; and Aztec Drilling Company (Branstetter, Keith), associated with 14. These names describe permit records, not a guarantee of current availability or workmanship.
Before closing, pull the actual DWR permits for neighboring parcels. Check construction dates, casing and grout details, reported depth, pump yield, and permitted use. A permit is not the same as a successful production test.
Local drilling conditions are modeled as fractured mountain bedrock, including granite and gneiss. The stated drilling rate is $65 to $100 per foot. At Hayden’s 30-foot median depth, the drilled hole alone models to about $2,000 to $3,000.
A finished system, including the pump, tank, trenching, and electrical work, is modeled at about $8,000 to $15,000. That is a planning range, not a fixed quote. Depth, access, casing and grout requirements, water storage, power distance, and difficult rock can move the final number.
Because 64% of recorded wells are under 100 feet but the deepest record reaches 3,086 feet, ask for a written bid with assumptions and a clear treatment of additional footage. Confirm what happens if the hole is low-yield or dry.
Low yield is the first practical concern. Six percent of reported pump yields are under 1 gallon per minute, and the available yield sample is small. A dry hole or poor-producing fracture can still occur even where a nearby well performs well.
Environmental records also deserve review. Within about 10 miles, the mapped information includes 14 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 36 historic mine features. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in the stated data. These records do not prove contamination on a particular parcel, so test the actual well water and check the site history.
Have a septic designer review setbacks from the well, replacement-area needs, slope, soil, and groundwater conditions before placing a house. Confirm access for a drill rig and future service equipment. DWR permits, exempt household-use rules, and any augmentation-plan requirements can affect what the well may legally supply.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 4 |
| 1960s | 1 |
| 1970s | 34 |
| 1980s | 36 |
| 1990s | 77 |
| 2000s | 52 |
| 2010s | 46 |
| 2020s | 73 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 70 |
| Routt Drilling Co. (Ozbun, Jerald A.) | 36 |
| Aztec Drilling Company (Branstetter, Keith) | 14 |
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 (240 ft) would run roughly $21,600–$36,000. 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 HaydenTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Hayden and the surrounding Routt County area. The company handles access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems, and custom homes.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Hayden 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 Hayden. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median recorded well depth within 5 miles of Hayden is 30 feet. The middle half runs from 15 to 240 feet. However, 17% of recorded wells are 300 to 600 feet deep, 5% exceed 600 feet, and the deepest record is 3,086 feet. Fractured mountain bedrock makes the result highly dependent on the specific parcel.
The local drilling model uses $65 to $100 per foot. At the 30-foot median depth, the drilled hole is modeled at about $2,000 to $3,000. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching, and electrical work is about $8,000 to $15,000. Request a written bid that explains additional footage and dry-hole terms.
Among the 33 wells reporting pump yield, the median is 8.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 5.0 to 15.0 gallons per minute. Six percent report under 1 gallon per minute. Because the reporting sample is limited and fractured rock varies, review the actual well test and storage setup before buying.
The local records identify 14 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 36 historic mine features within about 10 miles, with 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Those mapped facts do not establish the quality of one well. Test the property’s water, especially for contaminants suggested by its location and land-use history.
A buildable lot needs more than a nearby well record. Check the DWR permit and allowed use, the well’s yield and storage, septic suitability, setbacks, access, and power. Most recorded wells are domestic or household use at 60%, while stock use is 21%. An exempt household-use well has legal limits, so confirm the intended use before designing.
All wells in Routt County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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