Iliff, Colorado Well Depth, Yield, and Drilling Costs

How deep are wells around Iliff?

How much water do wells make near Iliff?

Iliff well depths are usually shallow, but the spread matters

The median reported well depth near Iliff is 80 feet. The middle half runs from 52 to 130 feet, so a driller's bid for a typical location should not automatically be based on a deep mountain-style well. Sixty percent of recorded wells are under 100 feet, while 33% fall from 100 to 300 feet.

There are exceptions. The 90th-percentile depth is 260 feet, and the deepest well on record reaches 500 feet. Seven percent are in the 300-to-600-foot range, with none recorded above 600 feet. Local ground conditions include alluvium and plains sedimentary rock, so the exact depth depends on the site, the target aquifer, casing and grout requirements, and what nearby well logs show.

Reported Iliff yields are strong, with limited testing coverage

Among the 102 wells that report a pump yield, the median is 15.0 gallons per minute. The middle half spans 15.0 to 1375.0 gallons per minute, an unusually broad range that tells a buyer not to rely on the median alone. Ninety percent of reported wells produce more than 15 gallons per minute, while 10% fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute.

No reported wells are under 1 gallon per minute or between 1 and 5 gallons per minute in this dataset. That is encouraging, but only a portion of the 555 permitted wells report a yield. Ask for the well completion report and a current pump test. Household demand, livestock, irrigation, storage, and pressure-system sizing are separate questions from the well's tested production.

Iliff water levels show a deeper recent measurement pattern

The median static water level is 20 feet below the surface, with the middle half between 12 and 45 feet. That is a useful starting point for pump setting, trench planning, and understanding how much lift the system may need, but it is not a guarantee for a new hole or an operating well.

The recorded measurements point to a deeper water level in the newer decade: the median was 26 feet below surface in the 2010s and 48 feet in the 2020s. That suggests water was measured farther down in the more recent records, but only 33 wells report a static water level. Treat it as a local warning to check current conditions, not proof of a basin-wide decline. Seasonal timing, measurement methods, and individual well locations can affect the comparison.

Permit history shows long use around Iliff

Iliff has a long permit record, with permits issued in every decade from the 1950s through the 2020s. The busiest decade in the records was the 2000s, with 99 permits. The 1970s had 61, the 1960s 51, the 1990s 46, the 2010s 44, the 1980s 33, the 1950s 32, and the 2020s 17. The newest permit year is 2026.

The most common recorded uses are domestic or household at 43%, stock at 36%, and irrigation at 25%; monitoring makes up 5%. Those categories can overlap in the local record, so confirm the permitted use before assuming a well can serve a residence, livestock, lawn, or irrigation system. The most active named drillers are Stewart Drilling Co. (Stewart, Dennis W.), Canfield, Leslie George, and M&S Drilling, Inc. (Monheiser, Mark).

A typical Iliff well budget starts around the 80-foot median

For Iliff's alluvium and plains sedimentary rock, the drilling-rate model is $35 to $55 per foot. At the 80-foot median depth, the drilled hole works out to about $2,800 to $4,400. That is the hole only, not the complete water system.

A finished well with pump, tank, trenching, and electrical is modeled at about $8,800 to $16,400 at the median depth. A bid can move outside that range if the site needs a deeper hole, additional casing or grout, difficult access, longer utility runs, treatment equipment, or special surface completion. Have the contractor identify what is included, and compare the proposal with nearby well construction reports rather than using a countywide average.

Check contamination, septic setbacks, and low-yield risk

Environmental screening matters before buying. Within about 10 miles, the mapped records include 8 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 5 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. There are 0 historic mine features. These mapped sites do not establish that a particular well is contaminated, but they are a reason to order a laboratory water test and review the site's proximity and groundwater direction.

Low yield is not the only concern. A dry hole, poor construction, damaged casing, or inadequate grout can create a serious problem even where nearby wells are productive. Keep the well away from septic components as required by the design and local rules, and confirm that the lot has room for a permitted septic system, replacement area, driveway, utilities, and the home footprint. A Colorado DWR permit and any augmentation requirement also need review before construction.

Before buying an Iliff lot, verify the exact well record

Start with the parcel's DWR permit number and completion report. Confirm total depth, casing, pump, permitted use, reported yield, and the date and depth of any water-level measurement. Then compare several nearby records, especially in Padroni, Sterling, Fleming, or Peetz only as local context, not as substitutes for the subject property.

For an existing home, inspect the pressure tank, controls, electrical service, storage, and water quality. For raw land, get a driller's site-specific estimate and have septic feasibility checked before committing to a house plan. The 80-foot median supports a relatively modest initial drilling allowance, but the 260-foot 90th percentile shows why a contingency is necessary. If the proposed use extends beyond ordinary household needs, review the permit terms, water rights, and any augmentation-plan issue with the appropriate professional.

Well permits by decade near Iliff

What a new well costs in Iliff, 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 (130 ft) would run roughly $10,550–$19,150. 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 Iliff? 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 Iliff 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 Iliff

Keep researching

More in Logan County

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

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