Wells in Upper Witter Gulch, Colorado

How deep are wells around Upper Witter Gulch?

How much water do wells make near Upper Witter Gulch?

How deep are wells around Upper Witter Gulch?

The median completed well in this area is 302 feet deep. The middle half runs from 182 to 460 feet, so a driller bidding a typical lot should account for a broad range rather than use one depth as a promise. About 41% of reported wells fall between 300 and 600 feet, while 14% exceed 600 feet.

Only 9% are under 100 feet, and 36% fall between 100 and 300 feet. The deepest record reaches 3,523 feet, which shows the upper end of local uncertainty rather than a normal expectation. The aquifer records point mainly to unnamed fractured bedrock, with granite and gneiss conditions that can change substantially from one ridge or drainage to the next.

What water yield can a lot near Upper Witter Gulch make?

Among wells reporting a pump yield, the median is 7.0 gpm, with the middle half between 4.0 and 10.0 gpm. That is generally a workable range for a household well when storage, pump sizing and the permit all fit the intended use. It does not mean every well will sustain that rate indefinitely.

The records show 61% producing between 5 and 15 gpm, while 29% fall between 1 and 5 gpm. About 2% report under 1 gpm and 8% report more than 15 gpm. Ask for the well completion report, yield test and permit limitations. A Colorado exempt household-use well also has a 35 gpm pumping limit, regardless of a higher test result.

What does the water-level history show?

Reported static water levels have a median of 86 feet below ground, with the middle half from 42 to 150 feet. These measurements are available for only 167 wells, so they are useful local evidence but not a complete groundwater survey for every property.

The decade figures rise from 28 feet in the 1960s to 64 feet in the 1970s and 88 feet in the 1980s. They are 81 feet in the 1990s, then 100 feet in both the 2010s and 2020s. That pattern indicates water was generally measured deeper than in the earliest records, but it does not prove a uniform, continuing decline across Upper Witter Gulch. Seasonal conditions, location and measurement practices also matter.

Who has drilled here, and how active is the permit history?

Colorado DWR records contain 4,645 permitted wells in the mapped area, with 3,114 recorded as constructed. Permitting was heaviest in the 1970s, with 1,094 permits, followed by 996 in the 1990s and 757 in the 1980s. The record includes permits as recent as 2025, so this is not only an older mountain subdivision history.

The most common driller names in these records are James Drilling Company (Keaton, Michael K.), with 522 records; Walton, with 382; and Living Water Systems Inc. (Goble, Robert), with 270. Treat those names as permit-history context, not a recommendation. Before buying, pull the specific parcel's permit, construction report, pump information and any well test rather than relying on the area's averages.

What does a new well cost in Upper Witter Gulch?

Local ground conditions are fractured mountain bedrock, described in the cost model as granite or gneiss. The drilling rate used for this area is $65-$100 per foot. At the local median depth of 302 feet, the drilled hole models to about $19,600-$30,200.

A finished system, including the pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical work, models to approximately $25,600-$42,200. That is a planning range, not a fixed bid. A deeper hole, difficult access, casing or grouting requirements, water-storage needs and electrical distance can move the price. Get a written proposal that separates footage, casing, grout, pump equipment, testing, trenching and connection work. Confirm what happens if the hole is low-yield or dry.

What risks should buyers check before building?

Low yield and dry holes are the main physical risks in fractured mountain rock. The local records include 2% of reported yields under 1 gpm, and not every permitted well reports a yield. Review nearby completion reports, static levels and well tests, but do not assume two lots on the same slope will perform alike.

Water quality also deserves separate testing. The mapped area has 19 PFAS sampling or contamination sites, 1,359 historic mine features and 6 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites within about 10 miles. That does not establish contamination at your parcel. Test for concerns appropriate to the property, including metals and other mine-related impacts, PFAS where warranted, and bacteria. Check septic setbacks, drainfield space, access for a rig, steep-road limitations and the building location before closing. Confirm the permit allows the proposed household use; augmentation may be needed in an over-appropriated basin.

Well permits by decade near Upper Witter Gulch

What a new well costs in Upper Witter Gulch, 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 (460 ft) would run roughly $35,900–$58,000. 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 Upper Witter Gulch? 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 Upper Witter Gulch 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 Upper Witter Gulch

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