Well Drillers in Coconino County, AZ

Well Drillers in Coconino County, Arizona

Three licensed well drilling contractors serve Coconino County, Arizona’s largest county by area and the gateway to the Grand Canyon. Drilling in this county is among the most technically demanding in Arizona — not because of depth or hard rock alone, but because of the complex, stacked sedimentary geology of the Colorado Plateau and the unique water quality risks associated with certain formations.

Drilling on the Colorado Plateau

Unlike southern Arizona’s Basin and Range geology, Coconino County’s Colorado Plateau terrain is underlain by nearly horizontal sedimentary formations stacked to enormous depth. Wells here penetrate through a succession of formations, each with different properties:

Kaibab/Toroweap Limestone (surface to ~200 feet near the Flagstaff area): Permeable carbonate formations that can contribute water in fracture zones but are often unsaturated near the surface. Harder to drill than sandstone.

Coconino Sandstone (~200–600 feet below the plateau surface): The primary aquifer target for many northern Arizona wells. Cross-bedded aeolian sandstone with good permeability in undisturbed zones. Important: uranium occurs naturally in this formation in parts of the county. All Coconino Sandstone wells should be tested for uranium and radon before use.

Hermit Shale: An aquitard that separates overlying formations from deeper units. Drilling through shale can be slow and requires careful management of cuttings.

Supai Group: Below the Hermit, the Supai offers some water in fractured or porous zones, but depths make this formation impractical for most domestic wells.

Volcanic Basalt (San Francisco Volcanic Field): North and northeast of Flagstaff, basalt flows inter-finger with sedimentary formations. Vesicular basalt and fractures in cooled lava can be productive aquifer targets at depths of 100–500 feet.

Drilling Costs in Coconino County

Drilling costs in northern Arizona’s sedimentary and volcanic formations run higher than southern Arizona’s alluvial basins:

Per-foot rate: $65–$120/foot (carbonate and sandstone formations require harder bits and slower penetration rates)
Typical depth: 400–800 feet to reach the Coconino Sandstone; basalt wells may be shallower
Estimated total (drilling only): $30,000–$75,000
Complete system: $40,000–$90,000

Licensed Well Drillers in Coconino County

Flagstaff (2 contractors)

Myers Well & Pump — (928) 607-8514 — myerswellandpump.com — Well drilling and pump service in northern Arizona
Flagstaff Well and Supply — (928) 774-8243 — Established Flagstaff driller

Williams (1 contractor)