What Marvel, Colorado Wells Are Like

How deep are wells around Marvel?

How much water do wells make near Marvel?

Marvel well depth depends on the local ground

Reported well depths around Marvel center on 110 feet. The middle half runs from 60 to 161 feet, while the deepest reported well reaches 830 feet. Depth is not uniform across the area: 42% of reported wells are under 100 feet, 48% fall from 100 to 300 feet, and 10% are from 300 to 600 feet.

That spread matters when you compare drilling bids. A bid based on the median may fit many sites, but a lot that misses productive fractures can require substantially more drilling. The records identify mostly unnamed fractured-bedrock aquifer wells, with only a few alluvial and Mancos entries. Fractured rock can produce water unevenly, even between nearby properties.

Expected well yield near Marvel

Only 82 wells in the permit records report a pump yield, so the yield statistics are useful but limited. Among those reports, the median is 10.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 4.7 to 14.0 gallons per minute. Half of reported wells produce between those figures during the recorded test or measurement.

One percent of reported wells are under 1 gallon per minute. Another 24% fall from 1 to 5 gallons per minute, 50% from 5 to 15, and 24% produce more than 15. A buyer should ask for the neighbor’s well log and pumping information, not rely only on the area median. Storage tanks can help with a modest-producing well, but they do not fix a dry or unreliable source.

Water levels recorded around Marvel

Only 18 wells report a static water level, so this part of the record is thinner than the depth data. The median depth to static water is 50 feet, and the middle half runs from 40 to 59 feet. That describes the water level in the reporting wells at the time measured; it is not the same as well depth and should not be treated as a parcel-wide groundwater elevation.

The available facts do not provide a water-level series by decade, so they do not establish that the water table is dropping near Marvel. Ask for the original well construction report, static level, pumping rate and recovery information for nearby wells. A driller can also evaluate whether the proposed well location is likely to encounter the same fractures or water-bearing material.

Marvel’s permit history and local drillers

Permit activity is spread across several decades. Records show one permit in the 1960s, 73 in the 1970s, 101 in the 1980s, 169 in the 1990s, 171 in the 2000s, 61 in the 2010s, and 23 in the 2020s. The newest permit year in the data is 2025.

The most active names in these records are Beeman Bros Drilling Inc, including J. L. Beeman with 62 records and Matthew N. Beeman with 45, plus Holgate Drilling Co., including Merle Holgate with 58. Those counts show local permit history, not a recommendation or proof of current availability. Confirm licensing, insurance, references and who will handle the pump, testing and paperwork.

What a new well may cost near Marvel

The local cost model assumes mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground. Typical drilling is estimated at $50 to $75 per foot. At the area’s 110-foot median depth, the drilled hole works out to about $5,500 to $8,200. That is only the drilling portion.

A finished system, including the pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical, is estimated at about $11,500 to $20,200 at the median depth. A deeper hole, difficult access, extra casing or more complicated trenching can move the actual bid higher. Get a written proposal that separates footage, casing, grout, pump equipment, testing, electrical and site restoration. Ask what happens if the hole is dry or the yield is below the target.

Risks to check before buying or building

Low yield is not the only concern. The mapped area within about ten miles includes five PFAS sampling or contamination sites and five historic mine features. There are zero EPA Superfund or cleanup sites mapped in the supplied data, but that does not make every private well automatically safe. Test the water for common household concerns and for contaminants appropriate to the parcel’s location and history.

Most permits are domestic or household use at 89%, with stock use at 11% and irrigation at 1%. Confirm the permit’s allowed use before planning landscaping, livestock or additional dwellings. Have the well location, septic system and building footprint reviewed together. Setbacks, access for drilling equipment, casing and grout condition, and the possibility of a dry hole should all be addressed before closing or excavation.

A practical plan for a Marvel lot

Start with the Colorado DWR permit record for the parcel and compare it with nearby wells toward Hesperus, Durango and other surrounding areas. The broader record contains 734 permitted wells, but only 476 are recorded as constructed, 486 report a total depth, and 82 report a pump yield. That difference is a reminder to separate documented results from assumptions.

Before buying, request neighboring well logs, water-quality results, pump information and any well-use restrictions. Have a licensed driller assess access and likely depth, and have a septic professional confirm that the proposed well, septic field and house can fit with required setbacks. If the property is in an over-appropriated basin, ask the water attorney or DWR about augmentation requirements. A good inspection reduces uncertainty; it cannot guarantee a particular fracture will produce water.

Well permits by decade near Marvel

What a new well costs in Marvel, 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 (161 ft) would run roughly $14,050–$24,075. 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 Marvel? 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 Marvel 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 Marvel

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

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