Wells and Drilling Costs in Watkins, Colorado

How deep are wells around Watkins?

How much water do wells make near Watkins?

Watkins wells are commonly deep

Depth is the first major cost issue around Watkins. The median permitted well is 600 feet, while the middle half is 480 to 736 feet. The 90th percentile reaches 992 feet, and the deepest record is 2,047 feet. More than half of the wells in the depth mix are 600 feet or deeper.

That distribution matters when reviewing a drilling bid. A 600-foot estimate is a reasonable local planning point, but it is not a guaranteed stopping depth. Only 17% of wells are under 100 feet, and 2% fall between 100 and 300 feet. Denver Basin sedimentary bedrock is the reported ground model here. The Denver, Upper Arapahoe, and unnamed or fractured-bedrock aquifers all appear in the records, so the target formation can affect the final depth.

What a Watkins well may produce

Reported pump yields are stronger than the depth numbers might suggest. The median is 10.0 gallons per minute, and the middle half is 10.0 to 14.0 gallons per minute. Seventy-four percent of reported yields fall between 5 and 15 gallons per minute, while 25% report 15 gallons per minute or more.

No recorded yield in this dataset is under 1 gallon per minute, and 2% are between 1 and 5 gallons per minute. Still, the yield figures come from only 484 wells that reported a pump yield, not every permitted well. A test result is not the same as a guaranteed long-term supply. Ask for the completion report, pumping test information, storage capacity and pump performance before assuming the well will support a house, livestock or irrigation.

Water levels vary across the Watkins records

The reported median static water level is 320 feet below the surface, with a very broad middle half from 30 to 450 feet. That range is a warning against using one neighbor's water level as a design number. Pump setting, casing depth, aquifer, land elevation and the timing of the measurement all matter.

The decade series does not show a simple dropping table in these records. The median depth to water was 360 feet in the 2010s and 280 feet in the 2020s, meaning the later reported median is shallower. That comparison is not proof of recovery or a basin-wide trend; it can reflect different locations, aquifers and reporting practices. A site-specific water-level check remains important when sizing the pump and pressure system.

A long permit history, with current activity

Watkins has a substantial well history. The records include 1,324 permitted wells, with 720 recorded as constructed. Permits were issued in every decade from the 1950s through the 2020s, and the newest permit year is 2025. The largest decade in the supplied history is the 2000s, with 251 permits; the 1980s and 1990s also show substantial activity.

Crandall Drilling & Pump Service, including Crandall Jr. and Howard H., appears most often with 196 records. Don Eastwood Drilling Inc., including Eastwood and Don, appears with 125, followed by Authorized, including Pe and Pg, with 83. These names describe the permit history, not a recommendation. Confirm current licensing, insurance, references, scope and who will perform the pump work before hiring.

Planning the cost of a Watkins well

The local drilling model uses a typical rate of $50 to $70 per foot. At the 600-foot median depth, the drilled hole models at about $30,000 to $42,000. A finished well, including the pump, tank, trenching and electrical, models at about $36,000 to $54,000.

Those figures are planning ranges rather than a fixed quote. A deeper-than-expected hole, difficult access, additional casing or grout, unusual pump requirements and electrical or trench conditions can change the total. Have the driller separate footage, casing, grout, formation testing, pump equipment, pressure tank, trenching and electrical work in writing. Also confirm what happens if the hole is low-yield or dry, since that risk needs to be addressed before drilling starts.

Watkins risks to check before closing

Environmental review deserves attention around Watkins. The mapped area within about 10 miles includes 91 PFAS sampling or contamination sites and 8 EPA Superfund or cleanup sites. That does not establish contamination at a particular parcel, but it is enough reason to check the property, nearby wells and available water-quality records. There are no historic mine features in the supplied map, which removes one common Colorado concern but not other sources.

Low yield and dry-hole risk still require a written drilling plan, even though the reported yield distribution is favorable. Septic setbacks, drainfield soil, driveway access, construction staging and well-to-building distances can affect where a house fits. A DWR permit is not the same as a guarantee of water quality or a guarantee that every intended use is authorized.

Due diligence for a Watkins lot

Before buying, pull the nearby completion reports and compare depth, aquifer, static water level, yield and use. Focus on wells in Watkins and nearby Aetna Estates, Aurora, Bennett and Strasburg, while remembering that conditions can change across the Denver Basin. A neighboring well can improve your estimate, but it cannot replace a parcel-specific bid.

Confirm the DWR permit status, permitted use and any augmentation-plan requirements before planning irrigation or other expanded use. Exempt household-use wells have limits, including the 35 gallon-per-minute pumping limit, and over-appropriated basins may require augmentation. For a new build, coordinate the well location with septic, the driveway, utility trenching and the house footprint before excavation. Put the drilling depth range, testing, pump equipment and dry-hole terms in the purchase and construction decisions.

Well permits by decade near Watkins

What a new well costs in Watkins, 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 (736 ft) would run roughly $42,800–$63,520. 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 Watkins? 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 Watkins 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 Watkins

Keep researching

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

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