A well in Hinsdale County is not a promise of unlimited water

In a county as rural and remote as Hinsdale, a lot of homes get their water from a well rather than a town system. It is easy to hear “the property has a well” and assume that settles the water question. It does not.

In Colorado, a well needs a permit from the state’s Division of Water Resources, and that permit sets what the well can legally do. Some permits cover only indoor household use in a single home. Others may allow some outdoor use or livestock, depending on the type. The permit, not the pump, is what defines your water. A well that runs dry, was drilled under an old permit, or is used beyond its terms can become a real problem.

It also matters whether a vacant parcel can even get a new well, and under what conditions. That depends on the water division the land sits in and the rules that apply there. The rule is not the same everywhere.

So treat water as its own item when looking at mountain property here. Ask for the well permit number and read what it actually allows, rather than assuming a well means unlimited supply.

The Colorado Division of Water Resources keeps well-permit records and explains what each permit type allows; verify a property’s well there.