Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Douglas County › Sierra Ridge
Buying land or a home in Sierra Ridge means looking beyond whether a well is already permitted. Records within five miles show how deep local wells tend to be, what reported yields look like, and how much drilling can add to a building budget. The area is in Colorado’s Denver Basin, with permits also naming Lower Dawson, Denver and unnamed fractured-bedrock aquifers.
The data is useful for setting expectations, not guaranteeing a result on one lot. A driller still needs to evaluate the parcel, access, geology, casing and grout requirements, pump design, and the water rights tied to the permit.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Sierra Ridge. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 205 |
| Median | 354 |
| 75th percentile | 525 |
| 90th percentile | 663 |
| Deepest on record | 2,681 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 2,015 |
| Lower Dawson | 1,298 |
| Denver | 738 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 11.0 |
| Median | 14.0 |
| 75th percentile | 15.0 |
| Median depth to water | 257 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 123 ft |
| 1980s | 241 ft |
| 2000s | 445 ft |
| 2010s | 368 ft |
| 2020s | 200 ft |
The median reported well depth near Sierra Ridge is 354 feet. The middle half runs from 205 to 525 feet, so a bid based only on a shallow neighboring well can be misleading. The deepest recorded well is 2,681 feet, while 44% of wells fall between 300 and 600 feet.
Another 16% are 600 feet or deeper, and 18% are under 100 feet. Those figures reflect substantial local variation. The drilling model treats the ground as Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock, but permits also identify unnamed fractured-bedrock aquifers. Fractured rock can produce uneven results over short distances. Ask for a written price structure that explains the per-foot rate, casing, grout, completion and any added footage.
Among wells with a reported pump yield, the median is 14.0 gallons per minute. The middle half is 11.0 to 15.0 gallons per minute. Reported yields are concentrated in the useful middle range: 59% produce between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, and 41% report more than 15 gallons per minute.
No wells in this record set are reported under 5 gallons per minute. That is encouraging for a buyer, but it is not a promise for an unbuilt well or a particular subdivision lot. A pump test, permit conditions and storage design still matter. Domestic and household wells make up 59% of the use mix, so many records are relevant to residential planning. An exempt household-use well is generally subject to Colorado’s 35-gpm pumping limit.
Reported static water levels have a median depth of 257 feet, with the middle half between 100 and 430 feet below the surface. That is separate from total well depth: a 354-foot well does not mean water stands at 354 feet.
The decade series does not show a simple continuing decline. Median depth to water was 123 feet in the 1970s, 241 feet in the 1980s, 445 feet in the 2000s, 368 feet in the 2010s and 200 feet in the 2020s. Only 206 records report a static water level, so the measurements are limited and may represent different aquifers, locations and conditions. Use them as background, then request a current well test and water-level measurement.
Colorado DWR records contain 5,358 permitted wells within the study area, with 2,686 recorded as constructed. Permits were most numerous in the 1980s with 1,030, followed by the 1970s with 980. The record includes 259 permits from the 2020s, and the newest permit year is 2025.
The most active driller names in these records are Hier Drilling Co Inc (Hier, Bruce A.), with 847 records, and Hier Drilling Co. (Hier, Peter J), with 575. “Authorized (Pe, Pg)” appears on 419 records. These counts describe permit records, not a recommendation or proof of current availability. Verify licensing, insurance, scheduling and the exact scope of any proposal before hiring.
The local drilling model uses a typical rate of $50 to $70 per foot. At the median depth of 354 feet, the drilled hole comes to about $17,700 to $24,800. A finished well including the pump, tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at about $23,700 to $36,800.
That range is a budgeting tool, not a fixed quote. Ground conditions, access, casing and grout, water-quality work, electrical distance, pump size and extra drilling can change the final price. Ask each contractor to separate drilling from completion and identify what happens if the hole does not produce enough water. For a rural build near Meridian Village, Stonegate, Stepping Stone or Grand View Estates, compare the well estimate with the full site-development and utility budget.
Low-yield risk appears limited in the reported data, but a dry hole or poor result is still possible on an individual parcel. Fractured-bedrock conditions can be unpredictable, and a nearby well is not automatically a reliable predictor. Have the seller provide the DWR permit, well construction report, pump test, water-quality results and any maintenance records.
Environmental screening also deserves attention. The mapped area within about ten miles contains 102 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 9 historic mine features and 4 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Their presence does not prove contamination at the property. Test the well water before closing and consider the parcel’s location relative to those sites. Confirm septic setbacks, suitable soil, building area, driveway access and the legal water use allowed by the permit. In an over-appropriated basin, a new well may require an augmentation plan.
Start with the well file, not the listing description. Check the permit number, permitted use, aquifer designation, construction report, static level and pump test. Compare neighboring wells around Sierra Ridge, Meridian, Parker and Stonegate, but treat those records as context rather than a guarantee for your lot.
For a new well, obtain a site-specific drilling proposal with a per-foot rate, completion assumptions and a dry-hole or insufficient-yield policy. Budget the modeled finished-well range separately from septic, grading, trenching and electrical work. Before designing the house, confirm that the well’s legal use matches the planned occupancy and that septic and well locations can meet required separation. If the property is in a water-short or over-appropriated area, have the water-rights position reviewed before closing.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 78 |
| 1960s | 192 |
| 1970s | 980 |
| 1980s | 1,030 |
| 1990s | 767 |
| 2000s | 585 |
| 2010s | 442 |
| 2020s | 259 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Hier Drilling Co Inc (Hier, Bruce A.) | 847 |
| Hier Drilling Co. (Hier, Peter J) | 575 |
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 419 |
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 (525 ft) would run roughly $32,250–$48,750. 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 Sierra RidgeTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Sierra Ridge and nearby Douglas County communities with access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems and custom homes. Bring the well, septic and building work together early so the site plan accounts for all three.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Sierra Ridge 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 Sierra Ridge. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
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The median reported well depth within five miles of Sierra Ridge is 354 feet. The middle half runs from 205 to 525 feet, while 44% are between 300 and 600 feet. Depth varies by parcel and aquifer, so neighboring permits help with planning but cannot replace a site-specific drilling estimate.
The local model uses $50 to $70 per foot. At the 354-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at $17,700 to $24,800. A finished well with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is estimated at $23,700 to $36,800. Access, casing, grout, extra footage and completion choices can change the quote.
Reported pump yields have a median of 14.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 11.0 to 15.0 gallons per minute. In this record set, 59% report 5 to 15 gallons per minute and 41% report more than 15. A pump test is still needed to evaluate a specific well.
The records alone cannot establish that a particular well is safe to drink. Within about ten miles, mapped records include 102 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 9 historic mine features and 4 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Test the property’s water before closing and use the results to choose appropriate treatment or follow-up testing.
The available decade data does not show a simple continuing decline. Median depth to water was 123 feet in the 1970s, 445 feet in the 2000s and 200 feet in the 2020s. Only 206 wells report static water levels, and measurements may involve different aquifers and conditions, so the series is background rather than a prediction.
All wells in Douglas County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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