Walsh well buyer guide

Walsh, Colorado Well Depth, Yield and Drilling Costs

Colorado Well FinderWells by countyBaca 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.

404wells in DWR permit records
270 ftmedian well depth
207–420 ftmiddle half of well depths
600.0 gpmmedian pump yield
173 ftmedian depth to water
2025newest permit on record

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.

How deep are wells around Walsh?

3% under 100 ft51% 100–300 ft37% 300–600 ft9% 600+ ft
Depth statisticFeet
25th percentile207
Median270
75th percentile420
90th percentile576
Deepest on record1,001
Aquifer named on permitsWells
unnamed / fractured-bedrock aquifer185
Ogallala86
Cheyenne85

How much water do wells make near Walsh?

1% under 1 gpm0% 1–5 gpm7% 5–15 gpm92% 15+ gpm
Yield statisticgpm
25th percentile412.5
Median600.0
75th percentile975.0
Median depth to water173 ft
Median water level by decadeDepth to water
Not enough dated measurements

How deep are wells around Walsh?

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.

What water yield can a Walsh well make?

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.

What do water levels show near Walsh?

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.

Who has drilled near Walsh, and when?

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.

What does a new well cost in Walsh?

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.

Risks to check before buying a Walsh lot

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.

A practical plan for building or buying near Walsh

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.

Well permits by decade near Walsh

Decade permittedWells
1950s16
1960s105
1970s59
1980s7
1990s12
2000s50
2010s28
2020s19
Most active drillers on recordWells
Great Plains Drilling (Tweedy, Willis E)25
Ralph'S Welding (Woods, Ralph R)22
Marco Exploration (Hebberd, Marvin)20

What a new well costs in Walsh, CO

Estimated cost of a new well · Walsh, CO · median depth 270 ft
State & county well permit DWR application + county fee
$100–$400
Drilling, casing & grouting 270 ft × $35–$55/ft in alluvium and plains sedimentary rock
$9,400–$14,800
Pump, pressure tank & install scales with depth
$3,000–$8,000
Trenching, water line, electrical, water test
$2,100–$8,400
Typical finished total
$15,400–$26,800

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.

Environmental sites mapped within about 10 miles

10PFAS sampling / contamination sites
0historic mine features
0EPA Superfund & cleanup sites

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.

See every well near a specific address in Walsh

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 Walsh
Building or improving land near Walsh?

Tri-Lakes Contracting

Tri-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

Buying land near Walsh? 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 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.

What the wrong lot can cost you · the things a listing never mentions
Long or steep driveway & access
$25k–$80k+
Rock excavation & extra earthwork
$15k–$60k+
Engineered / advanced septic instead of conventional
+$20k–$40k
Water & long utility runs
$10k–$50k+
A feasibility report
from $99

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.

Tell us about your project

Driveway, site work, septic or a build near Walsh. Licensed GC, excavator and septic installer.

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Common questions about wells in Walsh

How deep are wells in Walsh, Colorado?

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.

What does it cost to drill a well in Walsh?

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.

How much water do wells produce near Walsh?

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.

Is well water safe in Walsh, Colorado?

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.

Is the water table dropping near Walsh?

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.

Keep researching

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Driveway, septic, site work or a build near Walsh?Licensed GC, excavator & septic installer. Tell us what you need — 30 seconds.