Colorado Well Finder › Wells by county › Baca County › Walsh
Buying land near Walsh means dealing with a broad plains groundwater picture rather than a predictable subdivision well pattern. Records within five miles show 404 permitted wells, but only 85 recorded as constructed. Depth, yield and water level information is incomplete, so a nearby permit is useful local evidence, not a guarantee for a particular lot.
The records are dominated by irrigation wells, with domestic and household wells making up a smaller share. That matters when comparing reported yields: a large irrigation-well number should not be treated as the expected supply for a home. Before closing, review nearby well permits, confirm the intended use, and have a driller evaluate access and the proposed location.
Figures are computed from Colorado Division of Water Resources permit records for permitted wells within 5 miles of Walsh. Not every permit reports every field; each statistic uses the wells that report it.
| Depth statistic | Feet |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 207 |
| Median | 270 |
| 75th percentile | 420 |
| 90th percentile | 576 |
| Deepest on record | 1,001 |
| Aquifer named on permits | Wells |
|---|---|
| unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer | 185 |
| Ogallala | 86 |
| Cheyenne | 85 |
| Yield statistic | gpm |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 412.5 |
| Median | 600.0 |
| 75th percentile | 975.0 |
| Median depth to water | 173 ft |
| Median water level by decade | Depth to water |
|---|---|
| Not enough dated measurements | — |
Among Walsh-area records that report total depth, the median well is 270 feet. The middle half runs from 207 to 420 feet, so a normal drilling bid should allow for meaningful variation from one parcel to the next. The depth distribution shows 51% between 100 and 300 feet, 37% between 300 and 600 feet, and 9% deeper than 600 feet.
The deepest recorded well is 1,001 feet, while only 3% are under 100 feet. Walsh sits in plains alluvium and sedimentary rock, with permits naming the Ogallala and Cheyenne aquifers as well as unnamed or fractured-bedrock sources. Local geology, the target aquifer and the exact lot can all move the final depth.
The reported yield numbers are unusually high: the median is 600 gallons per minute, and the middle half runs from 412.5 to 975 gallons per minute. Also, 92% of reported wells show yields above 15 gallons per minute. Those figures are strongly influenced by the local record, where 63% of permits are for irrigation and only 12% are domestic or household permits.
Only 102 wells report a pump yield, so the data does not describe every well. Just 1% report under 1 gallon per minute, and none fall in the 1-to-5-gallon-per-minute range. A buyer should still request the actual well test, permitted use and pumping conditions. A domestic well also remains subject to its permit terms, including the exempt-well pumping limit of 35 gallons per minute where that rule applies.
Only 11 wells report a static water level, so the local water-level sample is small. For those records, the median depth to water is 173 feet, with the middle half between 81 and 238 feet. That gives a useful range for discussing pump setting and drilling conditions, but it is not a water-level guarantee for a new well.
The permit history supplied here does not include a water-level series by decade. It therefore does not establish that the water table is dropping or stable around Walsh. Static levels can also differ with aquifer, season, pumping and well location. Ask for the neighboring well’s static level, pumping history and aquifer name instead of relying on the median alone.
Walsh has a long permit history. The records show 105 permits in the 1960s, 59 in the 1970s, 50 in the 2000s, 28 in the 2010s and 19 in the 2020s. There are also 16 from the 1950s, 7 from the 1980s and 12 from the 1990s. The newest permit year is 2025.
The most active named drillers in these records are Great Plains Drilling (Tweedy, Willis E) with 25 permits, Ralph'S Welding (Woods, Ralph R) with 22, and Marco Exploration (Hebberd, Marvin) with 20. Permit history helps identify local experience, but confirm current licensing, insurance, references and whether a contractor still works in the Walsh area.
For Walsh’s alluvium and plains sedimentary rock, the drilling model uses $35-$55 per foot. At the local median depth of 270 feet, the drilled hole models at about $9,400-$14,800. That is the hole only, not the complete water system.
A finished well with pump, pressure tank, trenching and electrical is modeled at about $15,400-$26,800. The middle-half depth range of 207 to 420 feet shows why a bid based only on the median can miss the final cost. Ask what casing, grout, drilling through difficult layers, pump size, electrical run and restoration are included. A deeper-than-expected hole or a different pump requirement can change the total.
Yield is not the only concern. The mapped area within about 10 miles contains 10 PFAS sampling or contamination sites. There are no historic mine features and no EPA Superfund or cleanup sites in the supplied records. That does not make every well safe. Test the actual well for bacteria, nitrate, PFAS and other concerns appropriate to the site, and repeat testing if ownership or land use changes.
Low-yield wells are uncommon in the reported sample, but 102 wells report yield and 239 report depth, so coverage is incomplete. Ask about dry holes, abandoned wells and neighboring well performance. A septic system needs suitable separation from the well and adequate soil and space. Confirm the permit, legal water use and any augmentation requirement before planning a home, livestock operation or irrigation.
Start with the nearest permits, especially wells on the same side of Walsh toward Vilas, Two Buttes or Springfield. Compare depth, aquifer, static level, use and reported yield rather than looking at one number. The named aquifer records include 185 unnamed or fractured-bedrock wells, 86 Ogallala wells and 85 Cheyenne wells; there are 0 Denver Basin aquifer wells in this dataset.
Before purchase, make the contract contingent on reviewing the DWR permit and well construction record, confirming the intended household use, and getting a professional water test. For new construction, locate the well and septic field together, verify truck and drill-rig access, and price trenching and electrical distance. Have a driller give a written depth range and a separate allowance for pump and completion work.
| Decade permitted | Wells |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 16 |
| 1960s | 105 |
| 1970s | 59 |
| 1980s | 7 |
| 1990s | 12 |
| 2000s | 50 |
| 2010s | 28 |
| 2020s | 19 |
| Most active drillers on record | Wells |
|---|---|
| Great Plains Drilling (Tweedy, Willis E) | 25 |
| Ralph'S Welding (Woods, Ralph R) | 22 |
| Marco Exploration (Hebberd, Marvin) | 20 |
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 (420 ft) would run roughly $20,700–$35,100. 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 WalshTri-Lakes Contracting is a licensed Colorado contractor serving Walsh-area projects, including access driveways, site development, new-build septic systems and custom homes. Their team can help coordinate the ground work needed to turn a rural lot into a buildable site.
Licensed Colorado custom home builder · licensed driveway & excavation contractor · licensed septic installer
A listing photo can't tell you whether a lot is a dream or a money pit. Two parcels near Walsh 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 Walsh. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.
Got it. Tri-Lakes will get back to you shortly.
Something went wrong sending that. Email kyle@trilakes.co instead.
The median reported well depth near Walsh is 270 feet. The middle half runs from 207 to 420 feet, while 9% are deeper than 600 feet. The deepest record is 1,001 feet. These figures come from permitted wells within five miles and should guide a bid, not promise the depth on a particular property.
The local cost model uses $35-$55 per foot. At the 270-foot median depth, the drilled hole is estimated at $9,400-$14,800. A finished system with pump, tank, trenching and electrical is estimated at $15,400-$26,800. A written bid should explain what happens if the hole is deeper or the pump requirement changes.
Among the 102 Walsh-area wells reporting yield, the median is 600 gallons per minute and the middle half is 412.5-975 gallons per minute. However, 63% of permits are for irrigation, so those figures are not a reliable household expectation. Review the specific permit, well test and pumping conditions before buying.
Testing is necessary. The mapped area has 10 PFAS sampling or contamination sites within about 10 miles, although there are no historic mine features or EPA Superfund sites in the supplied records. Test a property’s water for bacteria, nitrate, PFAS and other site-appropriate contaminants. Nearby permit data cannot certify the safety of an individual well.
The supplied records do not include a water-level-by-decade trend, so they do not establish a falling or stable water table. Only 11 wells report static water level. Their median depth to water is 173 feet, with the middle half from 81 to 238 feet. Ask for recent static levels and pumping history from nearby wells.
All wells in Baca County — county-wide depth, yield and cost figures.
Driveway, septic, site development, feasibility or a custom build near Walsh.
Shopping a lot? Run the $99 instant buildability check →