What Salida Wells Are Really Like

How deep are wells around Salida?

How much water do wells make near Salida?

Salida’s well depths reflect fractured mountain ground

Salida’s wells are commonly completed in unnamed fractured-bedrock aquifers, with 2,655 wells in the records identified that way. That usually means granite or gneiss conditions where water travels through fractures rather than a uniform layer. The median depth is 100 feet, and the middle half runs from 50 to 165 feet.

Nearly half of the wells, 48 percent, are under 100 feet. Another 43 percent fall between 100 and 300 feet, while 8 percent are between 300 and 600 feet. The deepest recorded well is 790 feet. For a bid, nearby well depths are more useful than a county-wide assumption. A 50-to-165-foot middle range still leaves room for a much deeper hole on a difficult fractured-rock lot.

Most Salida wells make usable household water

The reported yield median is 13.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half between 10.0 and 15.0 gallons per minute. That is a solid local result for ordinary household use, but yield is not the same as storage or guaranteed long-term production. A well test and the driller’s completion report matter more than a nearby headline number.

About 60 percent of reported wells produce 5 to 15 gallons per minute, and 35 percent report more than 15 gallons per minute. Only 1 percent are under 1 gallon per minute, while 4 percent are between 1 and 5. Low-yield wells can still work with storage, but they deserve careful design and a clear discussion of household demand. Exempt household-use wells also have a 35-gallon-per-minute pumping limit.

Water levels in Salida vary without a simple decline

The median static water level is 45 feet below the surface, with the middle half from 25 to 80 feet. This is the water level measured when the well is at rest, not necessarily the level while pumping. A shallow static level does not by itself prove that a well will produce strongly.

The decade figures do not show a steady downward trend. Median depth to water was 30 feet in the 1970s, 72 feet in the 1990s, 40 feet in the 2000s, 53 feet in the 2010s and 40 feet in the 2020s. These measurements come from different wells and locations, so treat them as local context rather than a site-specific forecast. Ask for the actual static and pumping levels on any well you may buy.

Salida’s permit history shows continuing drilling activity

Domestic and household wells make up 83 percent of the local permit use mix. Stock wells account for 6 percent, irrigation for 2 percent and monitoring for 4 percent. The record includes 1,879 constructed wells, while 2,129 report a total depth and 1,153 report a pump yield. Those differences matter: not every permit contains the same level of construction or performance information.

Permit activity increased from 46 in the 1950s and 47 in the 1960s to 283 in the 1970s, 534 in the 1990s and 572 in the 2000s. The newest permit year is 2026. The most frequent drillers in the records are American Drilling Service, Mccoy Drilling Inc and M & M Backhoe Service. A permit record is useful evidence, but verify current licensing and availability before hiring.

A typical Salida well budget starts near $12,500

Local drilling conditions are fractured mountain bedrock, described in the cost model as granite or gneiss. The modeled drilling rate is $65 to $100 per foot. At the median depth of 100 feet, the drilled hole alone models at about $6,500 to $10,000.

A finished well including the pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at approximately $12,500 to $22,000. That is a planning range, not a fixed quote. Access for a rig, casing and grout requirements, difficult rock, extra depth and the distance to the building can change the price. Get a written proposal that separates drilling, casing, completion, pump equipment, electrical and trenching. On a steep lot near Salida, site access can affect the budget before drilling begins.

Check contamination, septic layout and dry-hole exposure

Environmental screening deserves attention before closing. Within about 10 miles, the map shows 10 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 618 historic mine features and 5 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. These mapped features do not prove that a particular well is contaminated, but they are reasons to review site history and test the water. Historic mining can also raise questions about metals and other contaminants.

Low yield and a dry hole remain practical risks in fractured rock, even where nearby wells perform well. Have the well location, septic area, driveway and building envelope considered together. Keep required separation between the well and septic system, protect the wellhead from surface drainage, and confirm that the lot can support the intended construction. A water test after completion is part of responsible due diligence, not a substitute for checking the surrounding land uses.

Use nearby permits before buying a Salida lot

Start with wells closest to the property, including records around Smeltertown and Poncha Springs when they are relevant to the site. Compare reported depth, yield, static water level, aquifer description and use. A cluster of shallow wells can support a reasonable drilling estimate, but it cannot guarantee the same fracture will be encountered on your lot.

Before building, confirm the well permit path with Colorado DWR and determine whether the proposed household use is allowed. If the property is in an over-appropriated basin, an augmentation plan may be required for the intended use. Ask a driller to walk the site and price access, drilling, casing, grout, pump, trenching and electrical separately. For a purchase, make water rights, permit status, construction records, pumping performance and laboratory testing conditions in the contract.

Well permits by decade near Salida

What a new well costs in Salida, 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 (165 ft) would run roughly $16,725–$28,500. 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 Salida? 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 Salida 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 Salida

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More in Chaffee County

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

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