Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Clear Creek County › Idaho Springs
Buying land or a home in Idaho Springs means understanding the local well records before you rely on a driller’s estimate. Within 5 miles of town, Colorado DWR records include 1,816 permitted wells, with 1,053 recorded as constructed. The area is mountain ground, and most permits identify an unnamed fractured-bedrock aquifer.
The numbers give you a useful starting point, not a guarantee for one parcel. Wells vary substantially in depth and production, particularly around Idaho Springs, Central, Blue Valley, Black Hawk, and Floyd Hill. A neighboring well review, a properly written drilling bid, and confirmation of the permit and water right are important before closing or starting construction.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Idaho Springs. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 156 |
| Median | 302 |
| 75th percentile | 500 |
| 90th percentile | 678 |
| Deepest on record | 3,523 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 1,746 |
| Fractured Crystalline | 12 |
| Alluvial | 8 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 4.3 |
| Median | 7.0 |
| 75th percentile | 10.0 |
| Median depth to water | 78 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 2010s | 120 ft |
| 2020s | 70 ft |
The median completed well depth near Idaho Springs is 302 feet. The middle half runs from 156 to 500 feet, so a bid based only on the median can be misleading. A driller may encounter water well before 302 feet, or need to continue considerably deeper. The 90th-percentile depth is 678 feet, and the deepest recorded well reaches 3,523 feet.
Depth records show 18% of wells under 100 feet, 28% from 100 to 300 feet, 36% from 300 to 600 feet, and 17% at 600 feet or more. Granite, gneiss, and other fractured mountain bedrock do not hold water in consistent layers. Fractures control both where water is found and how much drilling is required.
Among the 514 wells reporting pump yield, the median is 7.0 gallons per minute. The middle half reports 4.3 to 10.0 gallons per minute. That is generally a workable range for household use, but the test result for the specific well matters more than the area median.
Production is not uniform: 1% report less than 1 gallon per minute, 25% report 1 to 5 gallons per minute, 65% report 5 to 15 gallons per minute, and 8% report more than 15 gallons per minute. A buyer should ask for the well completion report and pumping information. Low-yield wells may still work with storage, but they require a careful household demand and tank-system review.
Only 86 wells report a static water level, so the water-level data is a smaller sample than the depth and permit data. The median depth to water is 78 feet, with the middle half from 45 to 146 feet below the surface. This describes water levels in the reported wells, not a guaranteed level for an unbuilt well.
The decade figures show a higher median reported water level in the 2010s, at 120 feet below the surface, and a shallower median in the 2020s, at 70 feet. That difference does not establish a basin-wide trend because the wells and measurement locations may differ. Have the driller evaluate the parcel and ask how seasonal conditions could affect pumping and storage.
Permits in the five-mile area span from the 1950s through 2025. The records include 1 permit from the 1950s, 15 from the 1960s, 328 from the 1970s, 187 from the 1980s, 426 from the 1990s, 304 from the 2000s, 243 from the 2010s, and 89 from the 2020s. Most permitted uses are domestic or household use, at 77%.
The most active driller names in the records are James Drilling Company (Keaton, Michael K.) with 191 wells, Authorized (Pe, Pg) with 113, and Living Water Systems Inc. (Goble, Robert) with 108. These records show local activity, not a recommendation or proof of current availability. Confirm licensing, insurance, scope, casing, grout, testing, and the permit path directly with the contractor.
For fractured mountain bedrock, the drilling model uses $65 to $100 per foot. At the 302-foot median depth, the drilled hole alone is estimated at $19,600 to $30,200. That is not the complete water-system price.
A finished well including the pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $25,600 to $42,200 at the median depth. The 156-to-500-foot middle-half range explains why two nearby lots can receive very different bids. Ask whether the estimate includes mobilization, casing, grout, drilling beyond the planned depth, yield testing, water testing, permits, and difficult access. A low initial price may not cover the work needed to finish and connect the well.
The local records identify 1,746 wells with an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, while 12 identify Fractured Crystalline and 8 identify Alluvial. That fractured-rock setting can produce unpredictable water zones, low-yield wells, or a dry hole. Do not treat a nearby successful well as a guarantee for your lot.
Environmental review also deserves attention. Within about 10 miles, the mapped information includes 16 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 3,406 historic mine features, and 17 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Those locations do not automatically mean a parcel’s water is unsafe. Test the actual well for appropriate contaminants, especially if the property is near mining or cleanup areas. Check septic setbacks, drainfield space, slope, access for a rig, and the county’s building requirements before buying.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 1 |
| 1960s | 15 |
| 1970s | 328 |
| 1980s | 187 |
| 1990s | 426 |
| 2000s | 304 |
| 2010s | 243 |
| 2020s | 89 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| James Drilling Company (Keaton, Michael K.) | 191 |
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 113 |
| Living Water Systems Inc. (Goble, Robert) | 108 |
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 (500 ft) would run roughly $38,500–$62,000. 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 Idaho SpringsTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Idaho Springs and Clear Creek County with access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems, and custom homes. Bring the well, access, septic, and building work together early so the site can be evaluated as one project.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Idaho Springs 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.
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The median reported well depth within 5 miles of Idaho Springs is 302 feet. The middle half is 156 to 500 feet, while the 90th-percentile depth is 678 feet. Records range from shallow wells to one 3,523-foot well. Fractured granite and gneiss make the depth on a specific parcel difficult to predict.
The local cost model uses $65 to $100 per foot for fractured mountain bedrock. At the 302-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at $19,600 to $30,200. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $25,600 to $42,200. Access and final depth can change the bid.
Of the 514 wells reporting pump yield, the median is 7.0 gallons per minute and the middle half is 4.3 to 10.0 gallons per minute. One percent report under 1 gallon per minute. These are area records, not a promise for a new well, so request the specific well’s completion and pumping information.
Well water should be tested rather than assumed safe. The mapped area includes 16 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 3,406 historic mine features, and 17 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites within about 10 miles. Those figures do not establish contamination at your property. Test the actual well, especially near mining or cleanup locations, and retest as conditions change.
Most permitted uses in the area are domestic or household use, at 77%. The median reported yield is 7.0 gallons per minute, but results range widely, including 1% under 1 gallon per minute. A low-yield well may require storage and careful use planning. Confirm the permit, pumping test, storage system, and intended household demand before building.
All wells in Clear Creek County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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