Colorado well permits

Every well permit DWR publishes, by division and water district. A permit is permission to drill and use a well, not a water right; most here are exempt household wells. The decreed wells are a separate, much shorter list.

599,071permits on file

78water districts

59%household or domestic

12%tied to a decreed structure

Drawn, not listed: how deep the wells go (the Driller’s Atlas, Plate 1: the median filed depth per ~3-mile cell, a toggle on the map) and a cross-section of the file along any line (Plate 2) — 377,575 permits with a filed depth, also under each district’s permit numbers with a draw-your-own line on its map — and the file one issue year at a time (Plate 3), with 1972 counted month by month.

Division 1 · South Platte · 321,072 permits

South Platte: Greeley to Balzac WD 1 58,542 permits 56% household median depth 160 ft on the map
South Platte: Denver Gage to Greeley WD 2 44,996 permits 33% household median depth 45 ft on the map
Cache La Poudre River WD 3 18,097 permits 54% household median depth 60 ft on the map
Big Thompson River WD 4 9,427 permits 68% household median depth 205 ft on the map
St. Vrain Creek WD 5 9,687 permits 56% household median depth 75 ft on the map
Boulder Creek WD 6 18,825 permits 67% household median depth 177 ft on the map
Clear Creek WD 7 17,493 permits 63% household median depth 125 ft on the map
South Platte Cheesman to Denver Gage WD 8 56,471 permits 51% household median depth 248 ft on the map
Bear Creek WD 9 16,099 permits 89% household median depth 300 ft on the map
Upper South Platte WD 23 18,064 permits 90% household median depth 220 ft on the map
Laramie River WD 48 108 permits 72% household median depth 150 ft on the map
Republican River WD 49 9,187 permits 29% household median depth 232 ft on the map
South Platte: Balzac to Stateline WD 64 12,138 permits 43% household median depth 81 ft on the map
Arikaree River WD 65 19,744 permits 32% household median depth 231 ft on the map
Sand Creek WD 76 123 permits 98% household median depth 380 ft on the map
North Fork of South Platte WD 80 12,071 permits 93% household median depth 300 ft on the map

Division 2 · Arkansas · 124,603 permits

Fountain Creek WD 10 37,763 permits 67% household median depth 251 ft on the map
Arkansas: Headwaters to Salida WD 11 13,167 permits 84% household median depth 105 ft on the map
Arkansas: Salida to Portland WD 12 16,626 permits 86% household median depth 223 ft on the map
Wet Mountain Valley WD 13 5,664 permits 87% household median depth 205 ft on the map
Arkansas: Portland to Fowler WD 14 7,480 permits 46% household median depth 40 ft on the map
Saint Charles WD 15 4,056 permits 81% household median depth 144 ft on the map
Cucharas River WD 16 3,027 permits 60% household median depth 100 ft on the map
Arkansas: Fowler to Las Animas WD 17 10,072 permits 48% household median depth 74 ft on the map
Apishapa River WD 18 1,234 permits 46% household median depth 150 ft on the map
Purgatoire River WD 19 5,977 permits 33% household median depth 140 ft on the map
Cimarron River Basin WD 66 3,519 permits 10% household median depth 250 ft on the map
Arkansas: Las Animas to Stateline WD 67 14,614 permits 29% household median depth 82 ft on the map
Huerfano River WD 79 1,404 permits 82% household median depth 164 ft on the map

Division 3 · Rio Grande · 40,234 permits

Rio Grande WD 20 21,698 permits 55% household median depth 100 ft on the map
Alamosa La Jara WD 21 2,303 permits 70% household median depth 124 ft on the map
Conejos Creek WD 22 3,350 permits 77% household median depth 70 ft on the map
Culebra Creek WD 24 1,539 permits 58% household median depth 140 ft on the map
San Luis Creek WD 25 3,003 permits 58% household median depth 136 ft on the map
Saguache Creek WD 26 1,660 permits 45% household median depth 150 ft on the map
Carnero Creek WD 27 2,519 permits 33% household median depth 102 ft on the map
Trinchera Creek WD 35 4,162 permits 64% household median depth 160 ft on the map

Division 4 · Gunnison · 23,523 permits

Tomichi Creek WD 28 2,179 permits 73% household median depth 50 ft on the map
North Fork/Tribs. WD 40 4,411 permits 68% household median depth 92 ft on the map
Lower Uncompahgre River WD 41 2,593 permits 48% household median depth 41 ft on the map
Lower Gunnison River WD 42 830 permits 58% household median depth 140 ft on the map
East River Basin WD 59 5,267 permits 76% household median depth 63 ft on the map
San Miguel River Basin WD 60 4,150 permits 62% household median depth 180 ft on the map
Paradox Creek WD 61 274 permits 41% household median depth 100 ft on the map
Upper Gunnison River WD 62 1,783 permits 77% household median depth 150 ft on the map
Dolores River Basin WD 63 302 permits 70% household median depth 79 ft on the map
Upper Uncompahgre River WD 68 1,224 permits 72% household median depth 220 ft on the map
Little Dolores River WD 73 510 permits 94% household median depth 427 ft on the map

Division 5 · Colorado · 47,141 permits

Blue River Basin WD 36 8,754 permits 80% household median depth 120 ft on the map
Eagle River Basin WD 37 2,844 permits 46% household median depth 130 ft on the map
Roaring Fork River Basin WD 38 10,430 permits 70% household median depth 115 ft on the map
Rifle/Elk/Parachute Creeks WD 39 4,146 permits 55% household median depth 90 ft on the map
Divide Creek WD 45 3,494 permits 59% household median depth 121 ft on the map
Muddy/Troublesome Creeks WD 50 984 permits 91% household median depth 205 ft on the map
Upper Colorado/Fraser Rivers WD 51 10,050 permits 86% household median depth 180 ft on the map
Piney/Cottonwood Creeks WD 52 313 permits 58% household median depth 90 ft on the map
Tribs. North of Colorado River WD 53 839 permits 71% household median depth 100 ft on the map
Roan Creek Basin WD 70 517 permits 22% household median depth 180 ft on the map
Lower Colorado River WD 72 4,770 permits 34% household median depth 35 ft on the map

Division 6 · Yampa / White / North Platte · 16,688 permits

White River Basin WD 43 3,744 permits 36% household median depth 100 ft on the map
Lower Yampa River WD 44 3,731 permits 60% household median depth 200 ft on the map
North Platte River Basin WD 47 1,632 permits 68% household median depth 100 ft on the map
Slater/Timberlake Creeks WD 54 452 permits 50% household median depth 220 ft on the map
Little Snake River WD 55 309 permits 21% household median depth 200 ft on the map
Green River Basin WD 56 101 permits 34% household median depth 210 ft on the map
Middle Yampa River WD 57 1,470 permits 56% household median depth 86 ft on the map
Upper Yampa River WD 58 5,249 permits 74% household median depth 180 ft on the map

Division 7 · San Juan / Dolores · 25,810 permits

San Juan River Basin WD 29 1,971 permits 67% household median depth 97 ft on the map
Animas River Basin WD 30 10,546 permits 71% household median depth 155 ft on the map
Los Pinos River Basin WD 31 6,253 permits 69% household median depth 152 ft on the map
McElmo Creek Basin WD 32 1,212 permits 54% household median depth 125 ft on the map
La Plata River Basin WD 33 1,856 permits 83% household median depth 120 ft on the map
Mancos River Basin WD 34 502 permits 70% household median depth 90 ft on the map
Navajo Reservoir WD 46 435 permits 65% household median depth 150 ft on the map
Disappointment Creek Basin WD 69 75 permits 52% household median depth 215 ft on the map
West Dolores Creek/Tribs. WD 71 1,209 permits 68% household median depth 84 ft on the map
Navajo River Basin WD 77 297 permits 57% household median depth 80 ft on the map
Piedra River Basin WD 78 1,454 permits 86% household median depth 180 ft on the map

DWR’s permit categories

Largest first, each with the share ever tied to a decreed structure (a WDID) and the share DWR records as constructed.

Category	Permits	With a WDID	Constructed
Residential	341,338	5.2%	65%
General Purpose	97,720	43.5%	55%
Monitoring/Observation	54,434	0.9%	58%
Monitoring Hole (Notice of Intent)	43,143	0.5%	27%
Unknown	31,466	3.0%	6%
Colorado Water Conservation Board	11,198	0.8%	98%
Final Permit	7,982	92.5%	0%
Basin Determination	5,147	90.1%	0%
Geoexchange System Loop Fields	3,071	0.0%	6%
Dewatering Well (Notice of Intent)	1,524	0.1%	13%
Gravel Pit	1,098	45.0%	43%
Basin Change	622	3.9%	2%

Median depth is over the permits that report a total depth (about two in three). A permit’s location is what DWR holds — most are spotted from section lines, so the map places a permit to about a mile. The permit file says nothing about how much water a well pumps; the lesson explains what it does and does not record. Source: DWR’s well-permit REST service.