Water Wells

All of our potable water in Indian Mountain is supplied from wells on our individual lots. To have a well drilled we must first apply for a permit from the State. The drilling company you choose can provide the application, or one can be downloaded from the Colorado Department of Water Resource’s website https://dwr.colorado.gov/services/well-permitting.

In the application, the location of the well must be noted on the plat of your lot and must be at least 100 feet from your and your neighbors’ septic systems. It should be close to the house to reduce excavating and piping cost but far enough away to avoid the septic system. Again, your drilling company can help pick the site.

Typically, well drilling is completed in one or two days. Indian Mountain wells are typically 300 to 500 feet deep, have a perforated PVC pipe near the bottom for water to enter, then a PVC liner to within 40 feet from the surface, and a steel casing from there to the surface, which is called the well head. Finally, the well is “shocked” with chlorine to kill any bacteria introduced by the drill operation.

An electric pump is suspended above the well bottom on thick wall PVC pipe, allowing space for sediment to collect. The pipe, attached to the casing, continues in a ditch to the house and into a pressure tank.

The water system operates automatically by detecting the pressure or level of water in the pressure tank (pressure seems to be preferred over level by homeowners), turning the pump on and off to pressurize the air above the water level. The air pressure pushes water throughout the supply system in the house. Two types of systems are used: a normal one keeps water in the pipe from the well to the pressure tank; a drain-back system allows water in the pipe from the well to the house to drain back to the well. The latter system is used when there is danger of freezing the water in the pipe.

A water filter can be installed between the pressure tank and the supply system in the house. A 25-30 micron filter will remove fine particles.

You will probably want to have you water tested for pathogens and mineral content. All of the water in Indian Mountain is from the same aquifer and is clean, with balanced minerals, somewhat “soft” and safe, but just to be sure…

IMPOA recommends that you have your house tested for radon gas and take any steps to ameliorate the levels of radon if they are too high. Park County is rich in uranium ores, typical of many granite areas. Radon gas collects in the water pockets in the granite and finds its way into your house through your well water. Radon is not harmful if ingested but it is not safe to breathe in concentrated quantities for long periods. Most hardware stores carry do-it-yourself radon test kits that are easy to implement.