McClave, Colorado Well Depths, Yields, and Costs

How deep are wells around McClave?

How much water do wells make near McClave?

McClave wells are usually shallow, but the range is wide

The median reported well depth near McClave is 35 feet. The middle half runs from 12 to 156 feet, so a typical drilling estimate may be based on a shallow alluvial well, but the local record does not guarantee that result. About 73% of wells are under 100 feet. Another 6% fall between 100 and 300 feet, 14% between 300 and 600 feet, and 6% reach 600 feet or more.

The deepest recorded well is 720 feet, and the 90th-percentile depth is 515 feet. McClave sits in plains terrain with alluvium and plains sedimentary rock. That setting can produce shallow wells, while local geology and the intended aquifer still control the final depth.

Reported yields look strong, with limited testing records

Only 27 wells in the records report a pump yield, so treat the yield statistics as useful local evidence rather than a promise for a particular lot. Among those reports, the median yield is 25.6 gallons per minute, and the middle half ranges from 15.0 to 460.5 gallons per minute.

No reported wells are under 1 gallon per minute, and none fall between 1 and 5 gallons per minute. About 22% report 5 to 15 gallons per minute, while 78% report more than 15 gallons per minute. That is favorable for ordinary household use, but a buyer should still request the actual well construction and pump records. An exempt household-use well is generally subject to a 35 gallon-per-minute pumping limit, and higher-demand plans may require different water-rights work.

The water-level record is too thin to prove a trend

Six wells report a static water level, with a median depth to water of 21 feet. The middle half ranges from 14 to 181 feet. That spread matters when planning casing, pump setting, trenching, and electrical work, but it is not enough to describe every lot around McClave.

The available water-level records do not establish a dropping or rising water table. There are too few reported measurements, and the facts do not provide a time series by decade. A static water level is also different from the pumping level while the well is being used. Before closing, ask for the well permit, well construction report, static level, pump test, and any recent service information. Compare nearby records in McClave, Hasty, Wiley, and the surrounding Bent County plains rather than relying on one well.

Permit activity grew in the 2000s, with records through 2023

The permit history shows wells permitted in every decade from the 1950s through the 2020s. Records include 9 permits in the 1950s, 5 in the 1960s, 13 in the 1970s, 17 in the 1980s, and 23 in the 1990s. The largest decade is the 2000s, with 71 permits. There are 9 in the 2010s and 10 in the 2020s. The newest permit year is 2023.

The most active drillers named in these records are Authorized (Pe, Pg), with 37 wells; Hoffman (Hoffman, Earl), with 21; and Ark Valley Pump & Supply (Smith, William David), with 11. These names help with record searches, but they do not tell you who is available for a new job today. Verify current licensing, insurance, scope, and references before hiring.

A median-depth McClave well models at $7,200 to $13,900 finished

For McClave's alluvium and plains sedimentary rock, the drilling model uses about $35 to $55 per foot. At the local median depth of 35 feet, that puts the drilled hole at roughly $1,200 to $1,900. That is only the hole, not a functioning water system.

A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is modeled at about $7,200 to $13,900 at the median depth. A deeper-than-typical site, difficult access, casing or grout requirements, water treatment, or a longer utility run can change the bid. Ask each contractor to separate drilling, casing, grout, pump equipment, testing, trenching, electrical, permits, and abandonment risk. Because 27 wells report a pump yield while 159 report a total depth, the cost estimate should not be treated as a guaranteed water result.

Check PFAS, low-yield risk, septic space, and building plans

Environmental due diligence matters around McClave. Mapping shows 6 PFAS sampling or contamination sites within about 10 miles, along with 2 historic mine features. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in that mapped area. Those figures do not determine water quality at a particular parcel. Test the well for ordinary drinking-water concerns and ask the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment or local officials about any nearby PFAS information.

Low yield is not the only risk. A dry hole, poor construction, inadequate casing or grout, pump failure, and septic setbacks can affect a buildable lot. Confirm the DWR permit and permitted use. Domestic, stock, irrigation, and monitoring wells make up different portions of the record, so a nearby irrigation well is not proof that a household-use permit is available. Check augmentation requirements if the proposed use affects an over-appropriated basin.

Buy the lot after checking the actual well file

Before buying near McClave, start with the Colorado Division of Water Resources permit and well construction records. Of 228 wells in the five-mile dataset, 154 are recorded as constructed and 159 report a total depth. That means some map points have incomplete information. Use nearby wells as a screening tool, then have a driller evaluate the parcel itself.

For an existing home, obtain the pump test, recent water-quality results, pressure-tank information, and repair history. For vacant land, confirm access for a rig, likely drilling location, septic layout, electrical route, and the legal water use before spending on design. A shallow local median is helpful for budgeting, but the record reaching 720 feet shows why a fixed-depth promise is unsafe. If the property is near Wiley, Hasty, Lamar, Las Animas, or Eads, use those areas only as additional context, not as a substitute for parcel-specific investigation.

Well permits by decade near McClave

What a new well costs in McClave, 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 (156 ft) would run roughly $11,460–$20,580. 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 McClave? 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 McClave 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 McClave

Keep researching

More in Bent County

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

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