Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Adams County › Shaw Heights
Buying or building in Shaw Heights means looking past the label of “well water.” The Colorado Division of Water Resources records show a wide range of permitted wells within 5 miles, from shallow plains wells to much deeper completions. Most reported wells are shallow, but the records also include low-yield wells, deep holes, monitoring wells, and sites with environmental history.
Use these figures to screen a property, compare a driller’s proposal, and identify questions for a well test, water-quality laboratory, and Adams County permitting review. Nearby Federal Heights, Westminster, Sherrelwood, Twin Lakes, Berkley, and Welby provide useful local comparison points, but the well on the specific lot matters most.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Shaw Heights. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 20 |
| Median | 26 |
| 75th percentile | 52 |
| 90th percentile | 353 |
| Deepest on record | 1,751 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 4,651 |
| Alluvial | 380 |
| Quaternary Alluvium | 91 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 8.0 |
| Median | 12.0 |
| 75th percentile | 21.0 |
| Median depth to water | 16 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 59 ft |
| 2010s | 14 ft |
| 2020s | 13 ft |
The reported median well depth around Shaw Heights is 26 feet. The middle half runs from 20 to 52 feet, so a driller bidding a typical nearby domestic well may be working in a shallow range. The depth distribution supports that: 81% of reported wells are under 100 feet.
Do not treat the median as a guaranteed drilling depth. The 90th-percentile depth is 353 feet, and the deepest record is 1,751 feet. The local geology is Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock, with permits also naming unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifers and alluvial units. Those differences can change casing, grout, drilling time, and final cost. Ask for nearby completed-well records, not just an average.
Among the wells reporting pump yield, the median is 12.0 gallons per minute. The middle half is 8.0 to 21.0 gallons per minute. Forty percent report more than 15 gallons per minute, while 46% fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute.
Low-yield results still occur: 7% report under 1 gallon per minute and another 7% report 1 to 5 gallons per minute. A buyer should not rely on the regional median without a test of the actual well. Confirm the well’s permitted use, storage capacity, recovery, and whether the planned household demand fits the result. Colorado exempt household-use wells also have a 35 gallon-per-minute pumping limit, even when the aquifer could produce more.
The median static water level is 16 feet below ground surface, with the middle half from 11 to 66 feet. That is consistent with the shallow depths common in the area, but it is not a promise that every lot will have water at the same elevation. Static level, pumping level, seasonal conditions, and the well’s screened or completed interval are different measurements.
The decade figures do not show a simple dropping water table in this record set. The median measured depth to water was 59 feet in the 1960s, 14 feet in the 2010s, and 13 feet in the 2020s. The more recent medians are shallower, but changes in well locations, completion types, and measurement practices can affect a decade comparison. Check current measurements for the property and its closest neighbors.
The permit record is substantial: 6,013 wells are in the local Colorado DWR data, 2,815 are recorded as constructed, 3,445 report total depth, 175 report pump yield, and 79 report static water level. Permit activity increased sharply in the 1990s and 2000s, with 1,095 permits in the 1990s and 1,246 in the 2000s. The newest permit year is 2025.
The records identify Authorized (Pe, Pg) as the most active driller listing, followed by Ground Exploration LLC (Bender, Joseph T.) and Layne, Christensen Co. (Tormoehlen, David A.). These names describe permit history, not a recommendation or proof of current availability. Have a licensed driller verify access, the permit path, and the intended household or irrigation use before work begins.
For the Denver Basin sedimentary-bedrock conditions used in this cost model, the typical drilling rate is $50 to $70 per foot. At the local median depth of 26 feet, the drilled hole is estimated at about $1,300 to $1,800.
That is only the hole. A finished system with pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at about $7,300 to $13,800 at the median depth. A deeper-than-median hole can move the price outside that range, and difficult access, casing, grout, permits, water treatment, rock conditions, and electrical distance can add cost. Request a written bid that separates drilling from completion and identifies what happens if the first hole is dry or produces less than expected.
Environmental screening deserves attention before closing. Within about 10 miles, the mapped data include 656 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 167 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites, and 13 historic mine features. Those locations do not prove contamination at a particular well, but they are a reason to test the property’s water and review nearby site history rather than assuming shallow water is safe.
Low yield and dry holes are also possible despite the strong local median. For a rural lot, confirm well setbacks from the proposed house and septic system, available building area, access for a rig, and the legal water use. An augmentation plan may be required in an over-appropriated basin. Have the well inspected, test water through a qualified laboratory, and coordinate septic and foundation plans before buying or excavating.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 179 |
| 1960s | 175 |
| 1970s | 208 |
| 1980s | 266 |
| 1990s | 1,095 |
| 2000s | 1,246 |
| 2010s | 919 |
| 2020s | 503 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 2,090 |
| Ground Exploration Llc (Bender, Joseph T.) | 112 |
| Layne, Christensen Co. (Tormoehlen, David A.) | 96 |
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 (52 ft) would run roughly $8,600–$15,640. 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 Shaw HeightsTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Shaw Heights and nearby Adams County communities with access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems, and custom homes. Coordinate well, septic, excavation, and house-site planning before construction starts.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Shaw Heights 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 Shaw Heights. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median reported well depth near Shaw Heights is 26 feet, and the middle half runs from 20 to 52 feet. About 81% are under 100 feet. The records also include much deeper wells: the 90th percentile is 353 feet and the deepest is 1,751 feet. The neighboring well pattern is a better guide for a specific lot than the median alone.
The local cost model uses $50 to $70 per foot. At the 26-foot median depth, the drilled hole is about $1,300 to $1,800. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $7,300 to $13,800. A deeper hole, difficult access, casing, grout, treatment, or extra electrical distance can change the bid.
Reported pump yields have a 12.0-gallon-per-minute median, with the middle half from 8.0 to 21.0 gallons per minute. Forty-six percent report 5 to 15 gallons per minute, while 7% report under 1 gallon per minute. These records are not a guarantee for a new well, so require a yield and recovery test on the property.
Safety cannot be determined from depth or yield. Within about 10 miles, the records map 656 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 167 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites, and 13 historic mine features. Those sites do not establish contamination at your lot. Test the actual well through a qualified laboratory and review local environmental records before using the water for drinking.
Confirm the well permit’s approved use before relying on it for a house, irrigation, or other demand. Colorado exempt household-use wells have a 35-gallon-per-minute pumping limit, and an augmentation plan may be required in an over-appropriated basin. Septic setbacks, usable building area, access for drilling, and water-quality testing should be checked together before purchase or construction.
All wells in Adams County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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