What to Expect from a Well in Lincoln County

How deep are wells around Lincoln County?

How much water do wells make near Lincoln County?

Shallow Wells Dominate, but Your Parcel Sets the Depth

Among the 2,689 wells reporting depth, the median is 54 feet and the middle half runs 35-100 feet. That range is more useful for an initial drilling conversation than assuming every parcel needs the county median. Ask for a bid that explains how the price changes if drilling must continue deeper.

Reported depths are under 100 feet for 73% of wells, while the 90th percentile is 151 feet. The deepest recorded well reaches 1,320 feet, so shallow construction is common, not universal. Local sediment layers and the water-bearing interval drive the actual target.

Permits name Ogallala and Alluvial aquifers, but 3,516 carry an unnamed / fractured-bedrock label. That broad category is not proof of fractured rock beneath a particular plains lot. Nearby logs matter more.

A 10 gpm Median Is a Starting Point, Not a Guarantee

The 572 wells with reported pump yields have a 10.0 gpm median; the middle half produces 6.0-15.0 gpm. Those rates can support ordinary household demand when the well, pump and storage are properly matched. They do not establish a right to irrigate or supply every proposed use.

Only 1% of reported yields are under 1 gpm, but that small countywide share offers little comfort if the property you buy is the low producer. Another 17% fall in the 1-5 gpm category. Have a pumping test evaluate sustained delivery and recovery rather than relying on a brief flow demonstration.

Yield reports cover far fewer wells than depth records. Treat the county figures as context, and give the subject well's current performance more weight.

Lincoln County's Water-Level Records Do Not Show a Falling Table

Static water level is the depth to standing water before pumping, not the bottom of the well. Across 137 reported measurements, the median is 35 feet below ground, with a middle half of 21-105 feet. A deeper static level affects pump placement and lift, but it does not by itself tell you the well's yield.

Decade medians are 53 feet in the 1960s, 36 feet in the 2010s and 35 feet in the 2020s. These figures do not show a countywide dropping water table: the later medians are shallower.

They also are not repeat measurements of the same wells. Different locations and aquifers may be represented. Ask for dated measurements and pumping-test records from the actual well before drawing conclusions about its trend.

The Permit Record Is Heavy on Stock-Water Use

Lincoln County's well history reflects its agricultural setting. Stock use appears on 59% of permits, compared with domestic/household use on 33%. A stock-well record on a property should prompt a permit review before you assume it can serve a planned house.

Permit issuance reached 681 in the 1990s, followed by 544 in the 2000s and 518 in the 2010s. The 2020s show 173, with the newest permit dated 2025; that is not a complete decade for comparison.

Eastwood Drilling (Eastwood, Francis) appears on 562 records and Hamacher Well Works Inc (Hamacher, Alan Ray) on 326. Another 212 carry the label Authorized (Pe, Pg), which is not a clearly identified drilling company. Historical record counts do not establish current availability or licensing.

Budget Beyond the Drilled Hole on the Plains

The local cost model uses $35-$55 per foot for drilling through alluvium and plains sedimentary rock. At the 54-foot median depth, that puts the drilled hole at about $1,900-$3,000. A finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at $7,900-$15,000.

The difference matters when comparing land prices. A drilling-only quote is not a usable water system, and the median-depth estimate is not a fixed price for your parcel.

Ask each bidder to identify casing, grout, well development, testing and permit responsibilities, along with the pump and service connections. Have them state how additional depth, difficult access and the route to the house would affect the quote. Settle those scope questions before comparing totals.

Check Water Quality and Layout Before Committing

The environmental map identifies 29 PFAS sampling/contamination sites and 2 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites within about 10 miles. Those listings are screening flags, not evidence that every nearby well is contaminated. Review the individual sites and ask a qualified laboratory or local health authority which tests fit the property's location.

For an existing well, inspect the cap, casing and surface drainage, and obtain water-quality testing. A clear glass of water cannot establish safety.

Low yield remains a separate risk, and county medians cannot rule out an unsuccessful hole. Before construction, coordinate the well location with the septic system, replacement area, house and access driveway. Required setbacks and workable equipment access should shape the site plan before excavation begins.

Buying Near Limon, Hugo, Arriba or Genoa

Start with the parcel's permit, then compare nearby constructed wells around Limon, Hugo, Arriba or Genoa. Look for similar terrain, reported aquifers, depths and yields rather than using a distant countywide example as your drilling target. Neighboring records narrow the questions; they do not guarantee the same result.

For a home purchase, request the construction log, pump information, recent water tests and a current performance test. Confirm that the permitted uses match the house and any planned livestock or outdoor watering.

For vacant land, check permit eligibility with DWR before treating water service as settled. Exempt household-use permits have use restrictions, and other proposed uses may require additional water-right arrangements. Get a written drilling scope and coordinate water, septic and building plans before closing.

Well permits by decade near Lincoln County

What a new well costs in Lincoln County

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 (100 ft) would run roughly $9,500–$17,500. 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 Lincoln County? 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 Lincoln County 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 Lincoln County

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Towns and areas in Lincoln County

Neighboring counties