What to Expect from a Well in Montezuma County

How deep are wells around Montezuma County?

How much water do wells make near Montezuma County?

Depth Around Cortez, Mancos and the Rest of the County

Of the 1,241 wells reporting depth, the median is 100 feet. The middle half spans 38-200 feet, and the 90th-percentile depth is 360 feet. That spread matters more to a drilling bid than the median alone: a contractor needs to allow for the water-bearing material actually encountered, not promise a county-average finish depth.

Mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground can produce different drilling conditions across Montezuma County. Most permit aquifer entries fall into the unnamed/fractured-bedrock category; Dakota and Mancos are also named. Those broad labels do not identify the producing interval beneath your lot. Compare completed wells close to the parcel, particularly those with similar terrain and geology.

A 10 GPM Median Is a Starting Point, Not a Promise

Reported pump yield has a 10.0 gpm median, with the middle half at 5.0-15.0 gpm. Only 226 wells report yield, so this is a smaller sample than the depth records. It describes reported pumping results, not guaranteed year-round production for every permitted well.

At the low end, 4% report under 1 gpm. For a buyer, that is a reason to require a current pumping and recovery test rather than judge the supply by household water pressure. Low production can mean storage and careful demand management. A pressure tank does not establish aquifer capacity, and a reported yield does not authorize irrigation or other uses beyond the permit.

Water Levels Show No Countywide Drop in These Records

The median static water level is 40 feet below ground, with the middle half at 13-80 feet. Static level is where water rests when the well is not pumping; it is not the depth to drill or a measurement of how much water the well can supply.

The median measured level was 40 feet in the 2010s and 40 feet in the 2020s. That series does not show a falling median. However, only 65 wells report static levels, and the decade groups are not necessarily repeated measurements of the same wells. For an existing property near Lewis, Towaoc or elsewhere in the county, look for its own dated measurements and pumping-test results.

Montezuma County's Permit History and Drilling Names

Recorded permit activity reached 366 in the 1990s, followed by 308 in the 2000s and 263 in the 2010s. The records include 142 permits in the 2020s, with the newest permit year listed as 2025. The latest decade is incomplete, so its lower count is not a direct comparison with a full decade.

Mcpherson Drilling Co. (Mcpherson, Billy G.) appears on 217 records, and Ancell Drilling Service (Ancell, Lee) on 93. Another frequent entry, Authorized (Pe, Pg), appears on 149 records but should not be treated as a named drilling business. These are historical record counts, not confirmation of current availability. Domestic/household use accounts for 66% of permits; monitoring accounts for 16%.

Budgeting a New Montezuma County Well

For the county's mixed sedimentary and alluvial ground, the cost model uses $50-$75 per foot. At the 100-foot median depth, that puts the drilled hole at about $5,000-$7,500. A finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at $11,000-$19,500.

Those are planning figures, not a parcel-specific quote. With the middle half of reported depths spanning 38-200 feet, depth alone can change the scope substantially. Ask the driller to spell out casing, grout, development and testing, along with how additional footage is charged. Have the pump installation, trench route, electrical work and rig access priced clearly so the hole price is not mistaken for a working water system.

Environmental Flags and Site Constraints to Check

The surrounding mapped area includes 24 PFAS sampling/contamination sites, 14 historic mine features and 11 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites within about 10 miles. These are screening flags, not evidence that a particular domestic well is contaminated. A PFAS sampling location is not automatically a confirmed contaminated supply.

Before closing, arrange laboratory testing and review nearby site information to decide whether additional contaminant testing is appropriate. Check the well's casing, sanitary seal and drainage, too. A county median cannot rule out low yield or a dry hole on an undeveloped lot. Plan the septic system, building location, well location and service access together, with required separations verified during local review.

Before Buying a Lot in Dolores, Lewis or Towaoc

Start with the parcel's DWR permit, then match it to the physical well and available construction and pump records. The county has 2,058 permit records but only 1,179 wells recorded as constructed. A permit on the map is not proof of an installed, usable water supply.

Read the permitted uses closely. An exempt household-use permit should not be assumed to cover outdoor watering or livestock; the actual conditions control. For vacant land, confirm permit eligibility with DWR before committing to a building plan. Compare neighboring wells near the property rather than relying on averages from Dolores County or La Plata County. Make water testing, production testing and site feasibility part of your purchase due diligence.

Well permits by decade near Montezuma County

What a new well costs in Montezuma 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 (200 ft) would run roughly $16,000–$27,000. 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 Montezuma 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 Montezuma 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 Montezuma County

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Towns and areas in Montezuma County

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