What Swink Well Records Tell a Rural Property Buyer

How deep are wells around Swink?

How much water do wells make near Swink?

Swink well depth: shallow plains wells with exceptions

The median reported well depth near Swink is 40 feet, and the middle half runs from 32 to 60 feet. That points to shallow drilling in much of the local alluvial and plains-sediment setting. For a normal-looking lot, a drilling bid based on the median may be reasonable as a starting estimate, but it is not a guarantee.

The records also show a wide spread. Seventy-eight percent of wells are under 100 feet, while 10% are between 300 and 600 feet and 12% are 600 feet or deeper. The deepest recorded well is 980 feet. A driller should review nearby logs rather than price every Swink lot at 40 feet.

How much water a Swink well may produce

Reported well yields are strong overall, but the records are limited: only 114 wells report a pump yield. Among those, the median is 31.5 gallons per minute and the middle half ranges from 15.0 to 295.0 gallons per minute. Seventy-five percent report more than 15 gallons per minute.

Low-yield records are uncommon in this dataset. One percent report 1 to 5 gallons per minute, and none report under 1 gallon per minute. That does not remove the risk of a poor new well. A test-pump result, storage tank and intended use matter, especially for irrigation or a larger household. Colorado exempt household-use wells also have a 35-gallon-per-minute pumping limit.

Swink water levels and what the records can show

Reported static water levels have a median depth of 26 feet, with the middle half from 18 to 36 feet. In practical terms, many wells encounter a relatively shallow water level, but a static reading is not the same as a guaranteed pumping level. Water levels can change after pumping and can differ between nearby wells.

Only 19 wells report a static water level, so this is a limited local sample. The permit counts by decade do not provide a water-level trend: they show when permits were issued, not whether the water table is rising or falling. Ask for the original well construction report and a current measurement when evaluating a property.

Who drilled near Swink, and how old are the permits?

Swink has a long well history. The records include 91 permits from the 1950s, 64 from the 1960s, 47 from the 1970s, 53 from the 1980s, 141 from the 1990s, 159 from the 2000s, 47 from the 2010s and 33 from the 2020s. The newest permit year is 2025.

The most active drillers named in these records are Crandall, H A, with 87 wells; Hoffman, Earl, with 60; and Broce Drilling, Broce, Frank R., with 39. Those names help locate comparable logs, but an old nearby well is not proof of present performance. Confirm the current permit, use, construction and repair history through Colorado DWR before relying on it.

What a new well costs around Swink

Local ground conditions are described as alluvium and plains sedimentary rock. The drilling rate model is $35 to $55 per foot. At the 40-foot median depth, the drilled hole works out to about $1,400 to $2,200.

That is only the hole. A finished well including the pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at about $7,400 to $14,200 at the median depth. A deeper-than-typical site can move well beyond that range, as can difficult access, casing, grout, additional trenching or an unexpected dry hole. Get a written bid that separates drilling from equipment and site work.

Swink risks: water quality, septic and building plans

The permit records name an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer for 877 wells, the Dakota for 33 and the Cheyenne for 12. They show no Denver Basin aquifer wells. Fractured or variable formations can make results unpredictable, so do not assume a neighbor’s depth or yield will repeat on your lot.

Mapped environmental information within about 10 miles includes 20 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 10 historic mine features and 15 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. That is a reason to test the actual household water and investigate the property history, not proof that every well is contaminated. Check septic setbacks, soil, drainage, access for a rig, and the building location before finalizing a lot plan.

Buying or building near Swink: a practical check list

Start with the Colorado DWR permit and construction record for the exact property. Then compare several nearby wells in Swink, La Junta Gardens, La Junta, Rocky Ford, North La Junta or Cheraw. Look for consistent depths, aquifer names, reported yields and static levels, while remembering that only a portion of records includes yield or water-level data.

For a purchase, make the well inspection and water test part of the contract process. For a new build, have a driller confirm access, target depth, casing and grout, pump sizing and storage before excavation begins. If the property is in an over-appropriated basin, ask DWR or a water attorney whether an augmentation plan is needed for the proposed use. Plan septic and the home together so the well, drainfield and access routes fit the lot.

Well permits by decade near Swink

What a new well costs in Swink, 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 (60 ft) would run roughly $8,100–$15,300. 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 Swink? 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 Swink 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 Swink

Keep researching

More in Otero County

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

Nearby areas