Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Chaffee County › Poncha Springs
Buying land or a home near Poncha Springs means understanding both the local well records and the mountain ground beneath the lot. Within 5 miles, Colorado DWR records include 2,998 permitted wells. Of those, 2,022 are recorded as constructed, so the dataset is useful but not every permit represents a completed producing well.
The local pattern is fairly favorable for household use: the median reported well produces 14.0 gallons per minute, and the median depth is 100 feet. Most permits name fractured bedrock rather than a broad basin aquifer. That makes nearby well history valuable, but it does not guarantee the same result on your parcel.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Poncha Springs. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 52 |
| Median | 100 |
| 75th percentile | 165 |
| 90th percentile | 300 |
| Deepest on record | 790 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 2,875 |
| Alluvial | 80 |
| Quaternary Alluvium | 15 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 10.0 |
| Median | 14.0 |
| 75th percentile | 15.0 |
| Median depth to water | 44 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 32 ft |
| 1990s | 74 ft |
| 2000s | 40 ft |
| 2010s | 55 ft |
| 2020s | 40 ft |
The median reported depth near Poncha Springs is 100 feet. The middle half of wells runs from 52 to 165 feet, which gives a driller a useful starting range for a bid. Nearly half of reported wells are under 100 feet, while 40% fall between 100 and 300 feet. Another 10% are 300 to 600 feet deep, and the deepest record reaches 790 feet.
Those figures describe the completed wells in the records, not a promise for a new hole. Most permits name an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, with 2,875 wells in that category. In granite and gneiss, water commonly follows fractures, so two nearby lots can require different drilling depths. Ask for a bid that explains the per-foot rate, casing, grout, testing, and what happens if the first target does not produce.
Reported well yield has a 14.0 gpm median, with the middle half between 10.0 and 15.0 gpm. Sixty percent of wells report 5 to 15 gpm, and 37% report more than 15 gpm. Only 3% fall between 1 and 5 gpm, while no wells in this dataset are reported under 1 gpm.
That is a stronger local yield pattern than many mountain areas, but a pumping test still matters. A household well does not need to make its full yield continuously; storage and recovery are important. An exempt household-use well is generally limited to 35 gpm, and the permit’s allowed use controls what the water can legally serve. Confirm the permit, production test, pressure system, and any storage tank before relying on a seller’s verbal estimate.
The median static water level is 44 feet below the surface, with the middle half from 25 to 80 feet. That often makes the water level less difficult to reach than the final well depth. It also affects pump setting, trench planning, and the amount of lift a pressure system must handle.
The decade medians do not show a clean, continuous decline. Measurements were 32 feet below surface in the 1970s, 74 feet in the 1990s, 40 feet in the 2000s, 55 feet in the 2010s, and 40 feet in the 2020s. Because these are measurements from different wells and locations, they should not be treated as one monitoring record. Check the closest neighboring wells and request current static levels before assuming the table is rising or falling.
Poncha Springs and the nearby area have a long permit history. The records show 53 permits in the 1950s, 44 in the 1960s, 247 in the 1970s, 213 in the 1980s, 499 in the 1990s, 758 in the 2000s, 432 in the 2010s, and 304 in the 2020s. The newest permit year is 2026.
Domestic and household wells make up 81% of the use mix. Stock accounts for 8%, monitoring 6%, and irrigation 2%. The most active drillers in these records are American Drilling Service (Dewberry, Bradford W.), Mccoy Drilling Inc (Dennison, Lynn A.), and M & M Backhoe Service (Myers, Dale T.). Treat this as permit-history context, not an endorsement. Verify current licensing, insurance, availability, and references for the exact type of work you need.
Local drilling is priced for fractured mountain bedrock, including granite and gneiss. A typical drilling rate is $65 to $100 per foot. At the 100-foot median depth, the drilled hole alone models to about $6,500 to $10,000.
A usable well costs more than the hole. The local model puts a finished system with pump, tank, trenching, and electrical at about $12,500 to $22,000. The final bid can move with access, casing and grout requirements, site distance, power work, and whether the well must go deeper than the local median. Get the construction scope in writing and ask which items are allowances. A shallow estimate is not the same as a complete water system price.
Yield is only one part of due diligence. Mapped environmental information within about 10 miles includes 12 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 513 historic mine features, and 4 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. These mapped features do not prove a problem on a particular parcel, but they are reasons to test the water and review site history, especially near old mining or industrial areas.
Most permits identify fractured bedrock, so low-yield zones and dry holes remain a practical risk even with good area statistics. Before building, confirm well spacing, septic setbacks, drainfield soil, access for a rig, and electric service. Test existing water for the contaminants relevant to the property, and have a Colorado professional review the permit and septic plan before closing.
Use the nearby records as a screening tool, then narrow the comparison to the closest wells with similar elevation, geology, and intended use. Salida and Smeltertown are each about 4 miles away, while Maysville is about 8 miles away. Garfield, Howard, and Nathrop are farther out and may be less representative of a specific Poncha Springs lot.
For a purchase, make the well permit, construction report, yield test, water-quality results, pump records, and septic approval part of the review. For a new build, get a drilling estimate before finalizing the house location and driveway. If the basin is over-appropriated, ask the Colorado Division of Water Resources whether an augmentation plan is needed. A good local well record reduces uncertainty; it does not replace parcel-specific testing and permitting.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 53 |
| 1960s | 44 |
| 1970s | 247 |
| 1980s | 213 |
| 1990s | 499 |
| 2000s | 758 |
| 2010s | 432 |
| 2020s | 304 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| American Drilling Service (Dewberry, Bradford W.) | 841 |
| Mccoy Drilling Inc (Dennison, Lynn A.) | 293 |
| M & M Backhoe Service (Myers, Dale T.) | 217 |
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 (165 ft) would run roughly $16,725–$28,500. See the full Colorado well cost guide.
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.
The numbers above are the area average. Your lot is one point on the map. Search the address to see the real depth, yield and aquifer of each permitted well around it.
Map wells near Poncha SpringsTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Poncha Springs and the surrounding Chaffee County area. The company handles access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems, and custom homes.
Licensed Colorado custom home builder · licensed driveway & excavation contractor · licensed septic installer
A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Poncha Springs 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.
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.
Driveway, site work, septic or a build near Poncha Springs. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median reported well depth near Poncha Springs is 100 feet. The middle half runs from 52 to 165 feet. Nearly half of wells are under 100 feet, while 40% are between 100 and 300 feet. Fractured granite and gneiss can produce large differences between neighboring lots, so the local median is a planning figure rather than a guarantee.
The modeled drilling rate is $65 to $100 per foot. At the 100-foot median depth, the drilled hole is about $6,500 to $10,000. A finished system including pump, tank, trenching, and electrical is modeled at about $12,500 to $22,000. Access, casing, grout, power work, and extra depth can change the final bid.
The median reported yield is 14.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 10.0 to 15.0 gpm. Sixty percent of wells report 5 to 15 gpm, and 37% report more than 15 gpm. Those figures describe reported wells, not a new parcel. Require a production test and review storage and recovery before planning household use.
The records do not establish that every well is safe to drink. Within about 10 miles are 12 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 513 historic mine features, and 4 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Test the property’s water rather than relying on a nearby result, and review mining, industrial, septic, and land-use history before buying.
The available decade medians do not show a steady decline. Static water levels were 32 feet below surface in the 1970s, 74 feet in the 1990s, 40 feet in the 2000s, 55 feet in the 2010s, and 40 feet in the 2020s. Because the measurements come from different wells, check current levels and nearby well records for the specific lot.
All wells in Chaffee County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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