Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Routt County
A well near Steamboat Springs may tell you little about a parcel outside Hayden, Clark or Yampa. Routt County's reported depths have a middle half spanning 41-350 feet, wide enough that a countywide average is a poor substitute for nearby drilling logs.
Colorado DWR records include 7,190 permitted wells in the county, with 4,193 recorded as constructed. These records help frame a purchase or drilling budget, but a permit is not proof of a working water supply. Start with the county numbers, then narrow the search to wells in similar ground around the property.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for all permitted wells in the county. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 41 |
| Median | 175 |
| 75th percentile | 350 |
| 90th percentile | 505 |
| Deepest on record | 3,643 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 6,949 |
| Alluvial | 126 |
| Mancos | 13 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 5.0 |
| Median | 8.0 |
| 75th percentile | 12.0 |
| Median depth to water | 40 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 72 ft |
| 2000s | 26 ft |
| 2010s | 35 ft |
| 2020s | 45 ft |
Among 4,272 wells reporting depth, the median is 175 feet. The middle half runs from 41-350 feet, and the 90th-percentile depth is 505 feet. For a drilling bid, that spread matters more than the median alone: a shallow-hole allowance can leave a substantial overrun if usable fractures occur farther down.
Permits group 6,949 wells as unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, while 126 name Alluvial and 13 name Mancos. That broad unnamed category does not establish the geology of your lot. In fractured mountain rock, water depends on connected openings rather than a uniform underground layer. Compare nearby logs around Oak Creek or Phippsburg with the parcel's terrain and geology before choosing a budget depth.
The reported median yield is 8.0 gpm, with a middle half of 5.0-12.0 gpm. Most reported yields fall in the 5-15 gpm band, which accounts for 66%. Those figures provide a useful household-supply starting point, but they come from 1,408 reporting wells, not every permitted well.
The 2% reporting under 1 gpm deserve attention when buying: a weak well can require storage and careful demand management. Another 16% fall in the 1-5 gpm band. Ask for a current pumping and recovery test rather than relying only on the original driller's yield. Peak household demand, sustained well production and permitted outdoor uses are separate questions; a productive well does not automatically authorize irrigation.
Static water level measures how far below the surface water stands when the well is resting. Routt County's median is 40 feet, with a middle half of 10-100 feet, based on 553 reports. It is not the depth to drill, nor does it tell you how far water will drop while pumping.
Decade medians are 72 feet in the 1990s, 26 in the 2000s, 35 in the 2010s and 45 in the 2020s. The later measurements show progressively deeper medians after the 2000s, but the full series is not a steady decline. These are countywide groups, not repeat measurements of the same wells. Check the property's own water-level and pumping history before concluding its supply is falling.
Permit issuance was highest in the listed decades during the 1990s, with 1,639 permits, followed by 1,377 in the 2000s. Records show 776 in the 2010s and 797 in the 2020s, with the newest permit dated 2025. The current decade is incomplete, so those totals are not a straight measure of changing demand.
The most active drillers in the records are Aztec Drilling Company (Branstetter, Keith), with 947; Arrow Drilling (Berglund, Peter R.), with 552; and Routt Drilling Co. (Ozbun, Jerald A.), with 529. Historical counts are not confirmation of present availability. Domestic/household uses account for 71% of permits; stock, irrigation and monitoring uses also appear, so filter comparison wells by purpose as well as location.
The supplied cost model assumes fractured mountain bedrock, such as granite or gneiss, at $65-$100 per foot. At Routt County's 175-foot median depth, that puts the drilled hole at about $11,400-$17,500. A finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at $17,400-$29,500.
Treat that as a planning allowance, not a parcel quote. The county's broad depth range means the final footage can change the price substantially. Access, casing, grout and the route from well to house also affect the work. Ask bidders to identify what is included, how additional footage is priced and what happens if the initial hole produces too little water. Confirm the actual geology before applying a bedrock rate.
The environmental mapping inventory lists 29 PFAS sampling/contamination sites, 106 historic mine features and 8 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites within about 10 miles. These are screening flags, not evidence that a particular Routt County well is contaminated. Review each relevant site's status and location, then use a qualified laboratory to test the property's water.
Inspect the wellhead, casing condition, surface drainage and available grout records. For a new build, coordinate the well location with septic siting, the house footprint and drilling access before fixing the site plan. Fractured rock can produce a weak or dry hole even near a working well. A deeper bid allowance helps address cost uncertainty, but it does not guarantee usable water.
Start with the property's DWR permit, construction record and pump information. Confirm that the permit covers the intended household, stock or outdoor use. An exempt household-use well is not blanket permission for every use, and some proposed uses may require an augmentation plan where water rights are constrained.
Next, compare nearby wells in similar terrain around Steamboat Springs, Clark, Hayden, Oak Creek, Phippsburg or Yampa—not simply the closest map dots. For an existing well, arrange water-quality and pumping tests while purchase contingencies remain open. For vacant land, get a parcel-specific drilling estimate and coordinate access, septic and building layout. Keep legal permission, physical water supply and construction cost as separate checks; none substitutes for the others.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 13 |
| 1960s | 29 |
| 1970s | 779 |
| 1980s | 632 |
| 1990s | 1,639 |
| 2000s | 1,377 |
| 2010s | 776 |
| 2020s | 797 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Aztec Drilling Company (Branstetter, Keith) | 947 |
| Arrow Drilling (Berglund, Peter R.) | 552 |
| Routt Drilling Co. (Ozbun, Jerald A.) | 529 |
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 (350 ft) would run roughly $28,750–$47,000. 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 Routt CountyPlanning a well-served property in Routt County also means coordinating access and the building site. Tri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor for access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems and custom homes.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Routt 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.
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 Routt County. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median reported well depth is 175 feet, and the middle half runs from 41-350 feet. The 90th-percentile depth is 505 feet. That wide spread makes neighboring construction logs more useful for a parcel estimate than the county median alone. Fractured-bedrock wells can differ substantially even over short distances.
The bedrock drilling model uses $65-$100 per foot. At the county's 175-foot median depth, the drilled hole is about $11,400-$17,500, while a finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is about $17,400-$29,500. Actual depth, access and construction requirements can move a parcel's price outside that planning range.
Among wells reporting yield, the median is 8.0 gpm and the middle half is 5.0-12.0 gpm. Reported yields under 1 gpm account for 2%. Have an existing well pumping-tested before buying; an old yield entry does not establish today's sustained supply, recovery or ability to meet household peak demand.
County permit records cannot establish whether a property's water is safe. The mapped inventory includes 29 PFAS sampling/contamination sites, 106 historic mine features and 8 EPA Superfund/cleanup sites within about 10 miles. Those flags warrant location-specific review, not an assumption of contamination. Obtain laboratory testing and inspect the well's sanitary condition before relying on it.
Decade medians show water levels at 26 feet below ground in the 2000s, 35 in the 2010s and 45 in the 2020s. However, the 1990s median was deeper at 72 feet. These groups do not track the same wells over time, so they cannot establish a countywide declining water table or predict a particular well's future.
Driveway, septic, site development, feasibility or a custom build near Routt County.
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