Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Las Animas County › Trinidad
Buying land or a home near Trinidad means looking past the listing and into the well records. Within 5 miles of Trinidad, Colorado, DWR records include 317 permitted wells. Of those, 156 are recorded as constructed, 221 report a total depth, 27 report a pump yield, and 28 report a static water level.
The local numbers point to generally shallow wells, but not uniformly. The median recorded depth is 42 feet, while the deepest record reaches 1,000 feet. Most permits name an unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, and the records also include alluvial and Purgatoire wells. Use these figures to set expectations, not to guarantee what a new well will produce on a particular parcel.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Trinidad. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 25 |
| Median | 42 |
| 75th percentile | 140 |
| 90th percentile | 300 |
| Deepest on record | 1,000 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 297 |
| Alluvial | 8 |
| Purgatoire | 5 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 4.4 |
| Median | 6.0 |
| 75th percentile | 11.0 |
| Median depth to water | 35 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| 2020s | 36 ft |
The median well depth near Trinidad is 42 feet, and the middle half of recorded wells falls between 25 and 140 feet. That is a useful starting point for a drilling estimate, but it does not define every lot. The 90th-percentile depth is 300 feet, and the deepest well on record is 1,000 feet.
Depth distribution matters when reviewing a driller’s bid. About 67% of recorded wells are under 100 feet, 22% fall from 100 to 300 feet, 9% from 300 to 600 feet, and 2% are deeper than 600 feet. Plains sediment and alluvium can vary over short distances, while fractured bedrock may produce water through separate fractures rather than a predictable continuous layer. Nearby wells are useful evidence, but your site still needs its own permit and drilling plan.
Only 27 wells in this area report a pump yield, so the yield statistics are a limited sample. Among those records, the median is 6.0 gallons per minute, with the middle half from 4.4 to 11.0 gallons per minute. About 63% report between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, while 22% report from 1 to 5 gallons per minute.
Low-producing wells are part of the local record: 4% are under 1 gallon per minute, and 11% report more than 15 gallons per minute. A household does not necessarily need a high instantaneous flow if storage and the well system are properly designed, but a low-yield result can affect tank sizing, home use and irrigation plans. Confirm the test method, recovery and permitted use before relying on a yield number.
Only 28 wells report a static water level. Their median depth to water is 35 feet, and the middle half is between 25 and 36 feet. Those figures suggest that many measured wells encounter water relatively close to the ground surface, but they should not be treated as a guaranteed water level for an untested parcel.
The available facts do not provide a water-level series by decade, so they do not show a defensible long-term rise or decline in the local water table. Static water level can vary with season, pumping and the individual aquifer or fracture system. Ask for the measurement date and conditions, then compare nearby well logs from Jansen, Starkville, El Moro or Cokedale when evaluating a property.
Permit activity is spread across several periods, with the largest recorded group in the 1990s at 85 permits and another substantial group in the 2010s at 75. The records include 38 permits from the 2000s and 22 from the 2020s. The newest permit year shown is 2024. Permit counts are not the same as completed wells, since only 156 of the 317 records are marked constructed.
The most active named drillers in these records are Authorized (Pe, Pg), with 55 wells; Boday Well Drilling, listed under Boday, Alex, with 48; and Boday Well Drilling, listed under Boday, Kathleen, with 29. A permit record does not replace current references, licensing checks or a written scope of work. Colorado DWR records can help identify nearby construction and reported performance.
For the alluvium and plains sedimentary rock described in the local cost model, drilling is typically estimated at $35 to $55 per foot. At the 42-foot median depth, that puts the drilled hole at about $1,500 to $2,300. This is the hole only, not the complete water system.
A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical is estimated at about $7,500 to $14,300 at that median depth. A deeper-than-median hole can move the price above that range, and access, casing, grout, difficult ground, testing and site conditions can change the bid. Request separate line items for drilling, casing and grout, pump equipment, electrical, trenching and any water-quality testing so competing proposals can be compared.
Environmental history deserves attention. Within about 10 miles, the map shows 33 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 183 historic mine features. There are 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in that mapped set, but that does not make every private well safe. Test existing water for contaminants relevant to the property and review nearby site history before closing.
Low yield and dry holes remain possible even where nearby wells are productive. The aquifer names are mostly unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifer, with 297 wells, while 8 are alluvial and 5 name the Purgatoire. There are 0 Denver Basin aquifer wells in these records. Check septic setbacks, available building area, access for a rig, electrical service and whether the intended household, stock or irrigation use is allowed by the permit.
Start with the exact parcel, then pull nearby DWR permits rather than relying on a countywide average. Compare depths, reported yields, static water levels and construction notes from the closest wells. Records near Jansen, Starkville, El Moro and Cokedale may provide useful local context, but distance and geology still matter.
Before you buy, make the contract contingent on reviewing the well permit, construction record, water-quality results and a septic evaluation. If the lot has no well, ask a licensed driller for a site-specific estimate with a depth allowance and a clear dry-hole policy. For a new build, coordinate the well, pump, storage, septic, driveway and electrical layout before excavation. Confirm the permitted use; domestic, stock, irrigation and monitoring wells appear in different proportions in the local records.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 7 |
| 1960s | 4 |
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 13 |
| 1990s | 85 |
| 2000s | 38 |
| 2010s | 75 |
| 2020s | 22 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Authorized (Pe, Pg) | 55 |
| Boday Well Drilling (Boday, Alex) | 48 |
| Boday Well Drilling (Boday, Kathleen) | 29 |
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 (140 ft) would run roughly $10,900–$19,700. 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 TrinidadTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Trinidad and surrounding Las Animas County communities with access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems and custom homes.
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A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Trinidad 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.
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The median recorded well depth within 5 miles of Trinidad is 42 feet. The middle half runs from 25 to 140 feet, but the range is wide: 67% are under 100 feet, the 90th-percentile depth is 300 feet, and the deepest record reaches 1,000 feet. Nearby logs are more useful than the median for a specific lot.
The local model uses $35 to $55 per foot for alluvium and plains sedimentary rock. At the 42-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at $1,500 to $2,300. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is estimated at $7,500 to $14,300. Greater depth, access and construction conditions can increase the bid.
Among the 27 local records that report a pump yield, the median is 6.0 gallons per minute and the middle half is 4.4 to 11.0 gallons per minute. About 4% report under 1 gallon per minute, while 63% report 5 to 15 gallons per minute. The sample is limited, so require a properly documented test.
Do not assume private well water is safe without testing. The mapped area includes 33 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 183 historic mine features, although it has 0 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. Test the property’s water and review nearby land uses, especially before buying or installing a treatment system.
Review the DWR permit, construction record, pump-yield information and static water level. Local records show a 42-foot median depth and 6.0-gallon-per-minute median reported yield, but only 27 wells report yield. Also verify water quality, septic setbacks, permitted use, electrical equipment, storage and access for future repairs or drilling.
All wells in Las Animas County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
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