Hesperus, Colorado Well Depths, Yields, and Costs

How deep are wells around Hesperus?

How much water do wells make near Hesperus?

Hesperus well depths reflect fractured bedrock and mixed ground

The median reported well depth near Hesperus is 160 feet. The middle half runs from 102 to 360 feet, which is a wide spread for estimating a new-well bid. A well near the median might be straightforward, but a parcel toward the deeper end can require much more drilling, casing, and labor.

Depth records range as deep as 1,000 feet. About 21% of wells are under 100 feet, 48% fall from 100 to 300 feet, and 28% are from 300 to 600 feet. The local drilling model describes mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground, while permits most often name fractured bedrock. That combination helps explain why neighboring properties can differ. Marvel, Durango, and Mancos provide useful comparison areas, but Hesperus records are the better guide for a Hesperus parcel.

Reported Hesperus yields are usually workable, but verify the well

Only 77 wells in the records report a pump yield, so the yield statistics are useful but not a guarantee for every property. Among those reports, the median is 7.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 5.0 to 10.0 gallons per minute. That is generally a workable range for a household well when the storage system and pump are properly sized.

Yield results are uneven. About 64% report 5 to 15 gallons per minute, 16% report more than 15, and 18% report 1 to 5. About 3% are under 1 gallon per minute. A low-yield well may still serve a home with adequate storage, but it deserves a different design and a careful conversation with the driller before closing.

Water levels near Hesperus need parcel-level checking

Only 20 permits report a static water level, so the water-level sample is small. Those records show a median depth to water of 64 feet, with the middle half from 50 to 299 feet. The spread is more important than the median for a buyer: water may be relatively shallow at one location and much deeper at another.

The available permit history does not provide enough water-level observations by decade to establish a reliable falling or rising trend. Do not treat the 64-foot median as a guaranteed pumping depth. Ask for the well construction report, static level, pumping information, and any recent service records for the specific property. A licensed driller can also explain how the expected water level affects pump placement, tank size, electrical work, and operating cost.

Hesperus permit activity shows long local drilling history

Colorado DWR records show 736 permitted wells within the Hesperus search area. Of those, 468 are recorded as constructed, 501 report a total depth, and 77 report a pump yield. The record is therefore broad, but not every permit gives the same level of useful information.

Permitting began with 1 record in the 1950s and 2 in the 1960s. Activity increased to 79 in the 1970s, 96 in the 1980s, 180 in the 1990s, and 173 in the 2000s. There are 52 permits in the 2010s and 18 in the 2020s, with the newest permit year listed as 2025. Beeman Bros Drilling Inc. accounts for 78 records under J. L. Beeman and 64 under Matthew N. Beeman. Dak Drilling LLC, associated with Doug Rathjen, appears on 53.

A new Hesperus well commonly starts with a five-figure budget

For the mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground described in the local cost model, drilling is estimated at $50 to $75 per foot. At the 160-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at about $8,000 to $12,000. That figure is not the complete water system.

A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical work is estimated at $14,000 to $24,000. A deeper hole, difficult access, unusual casing or grout needs, and site-specific electrical or trenching conditions can move the final bid outside that range. When comparing lots near Hesperus, Marvel, or the Durango side of the area, ask for a written estimate that separates drilling from completion and identifies what happens if the hole produces little water.

Check water quality, septic space, and dry-hole risk before closing

Mapped environmental information within about 10 miles includes 4 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 11 historic mine features. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in the mapped information. These facts do not determine water quality at a particular well, but they are reasons to review nearby land uses and test the water after purchase or before relying on a new well.

Most local permits are for domestic or household use at 90%; stock use is 12%, irrigation is 1%, and monitoring is 4%. Confirm that the permit allows the intended use, especially if the plan includes livestock, irrigation, or additional structures. Check septic setbacks, replacement-area needs, driveway access, and building placement before drilling. In an over-appropriated basin, an augmentation plan may be required. A low-yield or dry hole is a real construction risk, particularly where fractured bedrock changes over short distances.

Use nearby permits to price a Hesperus lot before building

Before buying, pull the closest DWR well permits and compare depth, reported yield, static water level, completion details, and use. A group of nearby wells with similar depths is more useful than the overall Hesperus median. Pay particular attention to wells reporting less than 1 gallon per minute, because they show that limited production is present in the broader record even though the median reported yield is 7.0 gallons per minute.

For a buildable lot, confirm legal access for a drilling rig, space for the well and septic system, electrical routing, and room for a replacement septic area. Have a Colorado-licensed driller review the parcel before relying on a seller's estimate. If the property already has a well, request the permit, construction report, pump test, water-quality results, and service history. Those documents can be more valuable than a countywide average.

Well permits by decade near Hesperus

What a new well costs in Hesperus, 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 (360 ft) would run roughly $24,000–$39,000. 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 Hesperus? 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 Hesperus 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 Hesperus

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

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