Stepping Stone, Colorado Well and Drilling Guide

How deep are wells around Stepping Stone?

How much water do wells make near Stepping Stone?

Stepping Stone well depths reflect Denver Basin geology

The median recorded well depth near Stepping Stone is 360 feet. The middle half runs from 190 to 540 feet, meaning a bid based only on a shallow neighbor could be misleading. About 42% of wells fall between 300 and 600 feet, while 19% are deeper than 600 feet. The deepest record reaches 3,220 feet.

Depths vary because permits identify both Denver Basin aquifers and unnamed or fractured-bedrock sources. Lower Dawson appears on 1,106 permits, Denver on 435, and 1,682 name an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer. For a drilling estimate, use the local depth range rather than treating the median as a promised depth.

Reported well yields are generally useful, but verify the test

Reported pump yields are comparatively strong in this area. The median is 13.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half between 11.0 and 15.0 gallons per minute. About 58% of reporting wells produce between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, and 41% report more than 15 gallons per minute. No recorded reporting wells fall below 5 gallons per minute.

That is encouraging for a household, but it is not a guarantee of storage, pressure, or long-term performance. Only 1,266 wells report a pump yield, compared with 2,114 recorded as constructed. Ask for the well completion report and pumping-test details, then have the system checked for tank size, pump capacity, and water quality.

Water levels vary widely rather than showing a simple decline

The median static water level is 278 feet below the surface, with the middle half from 100 to 480 feet. That range matters when estimating pump depth, electrical needs, and the work required to bring water into a proposed home. Only 184 records report a static water level, so the data is much thinner than the depth and permit record.

The decade figures do not establish a steady downward trend. Median depth to water was 123 feet in the 1970s, 236 in the 1980s, 702 in the 2000s, 382 in the 2010s, and 161 in the 2020s. Different wells, locations, and measurement conditions likely drive much of that spread. Use a nearby, comparable well rather than the decade series alone.

Permit history shows long-term drilling around Stepping Stone

Colorado DWR records contain 4,361 permitted wells within the study area, though only part of that group reports construction details. Permit activity was highest in the 1980s, with 853 permits, after 756 in the 1970s. The record includes 253 permits from the 2020s, and the newest permit year is 2025.

The most frequently listed drillers are Hier Drilling Co Inc (Hier, Bruce A.) with 641 records, Hier Drilling Co. (Hier, Peter J) with 440, and Authorized (Pe, Pg) with 373. Old permits are useful for patterns, but a current driller should still review the exact parcel, access, setbacks, and intended use.

A median-depth Stepping Stone well costs real money

The local cost model uses a typical drilling rate of $50 to $70 per foot in Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock. At the 360-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at about $18,000 to $25,200. That is drilling only, not the complete water system.

A finished well including the pump, pressure tank, trenching, and electrical is estimated at $24,000 to $37,200 at the median depth. A deeper-than-average hole can move beyond that range, while difficult access or additional site work can affect the final bid. Get the drilling allowance, casing and grout assumptions, pump equipment, testing, and connection work listed separately.

Check water quality, dry-hole exposure, and building constraints

Yield is only one part of the risk. The mapped area within about 10 miles includes 98 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 11 historic mine features, and 3 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Those locations do not prove a problem on a particular property, but they are a reason to test existing well water and review environmental records before closing.

Confirm the well permit allows the intended household, stock, or irrigation use. Domestic and household wells make up 54% of the use mix; stock is 12% and irrigation is 6%. Check septic setbacks, reserve areas, driveway access, utility routing, and the building envelope before drilling. A dry hole or low-producing well can leave you with a difficult site plan and a large sunk cost.

Well permits by decade near Stepping Stone

What a new well costs in Stepping Stone, 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 (540 ft) would run roughly $33,000–$49,800. 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 Stepping Stone? 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 Stepping Stone 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 Stepping Stone

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More in Douglas County

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

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