Jefferson, Colorado Well Depth, Yield, and Cost Guide

How deep are wells around Jefferson?

How much water do wells make near Jefferson?

Jefferson wells usually reach fractured mountain bedrock

Depth is the first number to carry into a drilling discussion. Jefferson-area wells have a 345-foot median depth, while the middle half runs from 250 to 460 feet. That range is wide enough that a bid based only on the closest well can be misleading.

About 54% of reported wells are between 300 and 600 feet, and 9% are deeper than 600 feet. The deepest record reaches 1,950 feet. Most permits name an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer; smaller groups identify Fractured Crystalline or Fractured Granite. Granite and gneiss can produce water through fractures, so depth can change sharply over a short distance. Ask for nearby well logs, not just a countywide average.

A 5.0 gpm median is workable, but not a guarantee

The reported pump-yield median near Jefferson is 5.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half between 2.0 and 7.0 gpm. The distribution is concentrated in the moderate range: 41% report 1 to 5 gpm, while 49% report 5 to 15 gpm. Only 4% report more than 15 gpm.

Low production still deserves attention. Six percent of reported wells yield under 1 gpm. That does not automatically make a property unusable, but it can require storage planning and careful household demand management. Have the driller explain the pumping test, recovery, pump setting, pressure tank, and storage approach. A well’s permit type and legal use also matter; 91% of these permits are for domestic or household use.

Water levels vary, and the decade record is uneven

Among Jefferson-area records that report a static water level, the median depth to water is 120 feet, with the middle half between 80 and 200 feet. That affects pump selection, electrical planning, and the length of drop pipe, but it is not the same as a well’s pumping yield.

The decade medians do not show a simple, steady decline. Reported depth to water was 95 feet in the 1970s, 70 feet in the 1980s, 85 feet in the 2000s, 170 feet in the 2010s, and 120 feet in the 2020s. The measurements come from different wells and years, so they should not be treated as a single monitoring well trend. A current static measurement and a pumping test are more useful for a specific purchase.

Permit history points to long-term drilling activity

Jefferson has a substantial permit record, with 2,418 wells in Colorado Division of Water Resources records and 1,609 marked as constructed. The newest permit year is 2025. Permit activity was highest in the 2000s, when 736 permits were issued, followed by 554 in the 1990s, 271 in the 1980s, and 229 in the 1970s.

The most active driller in these records is Allen Drilling & Excavating Co., Inc. (Allen, Jack R.), associated with 712 records. Living Water Systems Inc. (Goble, Robert) appears on 163, and Whitewater Drilling Inc (Benkufski, John D.) on 140. Those records show local experience, but confirm current licensing, availability, scope, and references before hiring.

What drilling a Jefferson well can cost

For fractured mountain bedrock, the local cost model uses a drilling rate of $65 to $100 per foot. At the 345-foot median depth, the drilled hole works out to about $22,400 to $34,500. That is drilling only, not the complete water system.

A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $28,400 to $46,500 at the median depth. A deeper hole, difficult access, extra casing or grout, and longer utility runs can change the final bid. Request a written allowance for mobilization, casing, grouting, testing, pump equipment, power, trenching, and any dry-hole terms. Compare bids on the same scope.

Check water quality, dry-hole exposure, and the building plan

Fractured-rock wells can vary in both yield and water quality. The mapped area within about 10 miles includes 2 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 2 historic mine features. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in that area. Those records do not prove a problem on a particular parcel, so test an existing well and review nearby land uses, mine history, and water-quality results before closing.

Low yield and a dry hole are separate risks from contamination. Confirm the permit, allowed household use, well location, septic reserve area, and building envelope together. A septic system, driveway, foundation, and well need workable separation and access. If construction is planned, have the site evaluated before buying rather than assuming the best drilling spot is also the best house site.

Use nearby wells to plan a Jefferson purchase

Start with permits and construction reports for the parcel and nearby properties, especially around Como and the routes toward Fairplay, Alma, Hartsel, Bailey, and Blue River. Neighboring wells can show depth, casing, static level, yield, and the aquifer descriptions used in this mountain setting. They cannot guarantee the result, but they give a driller a better starting point than a broad regional average.

For an existing home, make the offer contingent on a well inspection, flow or pumping information, water-quality testing, and confirmation that the permitted use matches the property. For vacant land, budget around the local depth and finished-system ranges, then ask how added depth or difficult access is handled. Colorado DWR records and an experienced local driller should be part of the decision before you commit.

Well permits by decade near Jefferson

What a new well costs in Jefferson, 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 (460 ft) would run roughly $35,900–$58,000. 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 Jefferson? 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson

Keep researching

More in Park County

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

Nearby areas