Wells and Water in Otis, Colorado

How deep are wells around Otis?

How much water do wells make near Otis?

Otis well depth follows the plains geology

The median reported well depth near Otis is 280 feet. The middle half runs from 235 to 316 feet, and the deepest well on record reaches 500 feet. The depth mix is fairly concentrated: 65% of reported wells are between 100 and 300 feet, while 35% fall between 300 and 600 feet. None are recorded under 100 feet or above 600 feet.

For a drilling bid, that median is a planning point, not a promised completion depth. A contractor may need to go deeper if the first water-bearing zone is inadequate or if casing and grout requirements change the design. Otis records name unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifers on 152 wells, the Ogallala on 95, and the High Plains Aquifer on 3. That mix supports checking nearby completions instead of relying on a countywide average.

Reported well yield is usually workable near Otis

Among the 46 Otis-area wells that report pump yield, the median is 15.0 gallons per minute. The middle half is 10.0 to 24.8 gallons per minute. Reported production is not evenly spread at the low end: 65% show more than 15 gallons per minute, 28% fall from 5 to 15, and 7% fall from 1 to 5. No reported well is under 1 gallon per minute.

Those figures describe tested or reported well performance, not the amount a household should pump continuously. A domestic permit may have different limits and conditions than a stock or irrigation well. DWR permit records show use categories of domestic or household at 43%, stock at 37%, irrigation at 34%, and monitoring at 3%. Ask for the well construction report, pump test, and permitted use before sizing a pump or planning irrigation.

Otis water levels are deep, but the trend is unclear

Only 13 wells in the local records report a static water level, so the water-level sample is limited. Within that group, the median depth to water is 228 feet, with the middle half from 200 to 255 feet. That is useful for estimating pump lift and electrical needs, but it is not enough to establish a reliable local water-table trend.

The permit history does not substitute for water-level monitoring. Permits were issued in several decades, including 33 in the 1970s, 36 in the 1990s, 37 in the 2000s, 19 in the 2010s, and 10 in the 2020s; the newest permit year is 2025. Those counts show ongoing development, not a measured rise or decline in groundwater. For a parcel with an existing well, compare older and newer static measurements when available.

Permit history points to several established drillers

Otis has a long well-permit record, with permits dating back to the 1950s and a newest permit year of 2025. The records list 249 permitted wells within the local search area, although only 100 are recorded as constructed. That distinction matters: a permit map is not the same as a map of working, completed wells.

The most active named drillers in these records are Wellstone Industries Dba Twiss & Wilson Drilling Inc, associated with Twiss, Raymond L., with 35 records; Burgess Well Company Inc., associated with Burgess, Larry, with 21; and Schaal Drilling Co., associated with Schaal, Ruben T., with 13. Treat that history as a starting point. Confirm current licensing, availability, references, and what each bid includes before selecting a contractor.

What a new Otis well may cost

For Otis ground described as alluvium and plains sedimentary rock, the drilling model uses a typical rate of $35 to $55 per foot. At the 280-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at about $9,800 to $15,400. That is the hole only, not the complete water system.

A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at about $15,800 to $27,400. Actual bids can move outside that range when access, casing, grout, difficult drilling, water treatment, or power work changes the scope. Ask for a written breakdown of drilling, casing, development, pump testing, pump equipment, tank, trenching, electrical, permits, and startup. A lower per-foot price may not be the lower total project cost.

Check water quality, yield, septic, and building limits

Three PFAS sampling or contamination sites are mapped within about 10 miles of Otis. There are no historic mine features in that mapped search and 1 EPA Superfund or cleanup site. These records do not prove contamination at a particular well, but they are a reason to test existing or new well water through a qualified laboratory and review nearby site history.

Low yield and a dry hole remain site-specific risks even when local reported yields look favorable. Confirm the permit type, aquifer, construction, static level, and pump test. A septic system also needs suitable soil, separation from the well, and enough usable space; its design can affect where a home, driveway, and outbuildings fit. Have the well and septic locations reviewed together before finalizing a building plan.

Use nearby wells before committing to an Otis lot

For a purchase or new build, begin with the exact parcel and then compare nearby records in Otis, Yuma, Akron, Eckley, Merino, Hillrose, and Atwood. The closest comparable wells are more useful than a broad regional assumption, especially where permits name both Ogallala and unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifers.

Request every available well permit, construction report, pump-yield result, static water-level reading, and water-quality test. Have a driller review whether a 280-foot planning depth and a 15.0-gallon-per-minute reported median fit the site, then price the complete system rather than the hole alone. If the property has no well, confirm water-rights and permit requirements with Colorado DWR before construction. For an existing home, make the offer contingent on satisfactory well flow, water quality, septic evaluation, and inspection of the pump and pressure equipment.

Well permits by decade near Otis

What a new well costs in Otis, 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 (316 ft) would run roughly $17,060–$29,380. 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 Otis? 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 Otis 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 Otis

Keep researching

More in Washington County

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

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