rural water or well water?

We'd prefer to have a well, for independence from utilities. But installation up here on the ridge runs about $10,000. The selling point of this plot of land was that rural water was already available. A dairy barn takes lots of water, but the bill was rarely over $35. Since closing the dairy, it's usually $23. Would take a long time for payback on a well.

__________________
Rudeness is a small man's imitation of power.

Around here, when the water lines were first put in, if you signed up at that time, it cost $300. We had a nasty bad well water, so were thrilled to sign up. Then we moved here. No one on our raod had signed up in the first place. This old dug well suited the one old man that had lived here, but for us is not enough. So, $4000 later, we have Rural water. I say sign up when you can.

they are bringing water down our road we arent taking it our well gives plenty of good water
they asked to put an easment for part of it on our land there supposed to bring the paper work for us to look at

__________________
Don't complain, just do it

Oh, we are talking costs?

Hookup to county water would have cost me $900. That does not include a line to my house, having a plumber come out to install a pressure regulator on my water lines, or buying and installing both myself. So I am erring on the side of caution in my calculations.

Professional drilling of a new 70-foot well, and self-purchase and installation of the pump and line connecting to our system, ran me $1,500. The difference is $600.

The average water bill here is $25 for household use only. Even leaving out my stock tanks, that is a 24-month payback of installation costs. We're already in the black!

If your system was brand new, you would have to add about $200 for a nice diaphragm pressure tank (mine's 50-gallon equivalent, and I highly recommend the larger size if you have room for it), brass tank T and switch. That would make payoff 32 months.

Now if I was facing $10,000 in costs, I would think twice. But I live in an area with good access to water.

__________________
Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

Oh, I forgot to ask Paula if her pipes are old galvanized ones. If so, replace those and your water will taste a lot better! We had that done as Phase 2 of our water system upgrade, after the well was installed. It cost us $1,200 to have the whole house converted to plastic.

My system is all plastic now, and it has gotten rid of the rust and the iron or off taste.

Our original well was a hand-dug, unlined 25-footer. We used it 15 years, but it did go dry in bad dry period on us. I am so glad I saw this bad drought coming two years ago and put in the new well.

If you use my prior figures, $1,500 and $1,200 = $2,700. Divide that by $25 a month, and we will be paid off on our all-new system in 108 months, or 9 years. We have 7 1/2 years left to go. That is a reasonable rate of return to me, considering the benefits, and realizing that we would have had to replace the galvanized whether we hooked up to county water or not. It had sprung a couple leaks before.

When we pulled the pipes, the water passages in some were the thickness of a 16-penny nail.

__________________
Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

I would like to have both. The property we have used to have a well, but it ran dry. I would like to get it running again for irrigation purposes, but not sure how much it would all cost or how to see if the well is no longer dry. Not even sure if all the parts are there anymore. Anyway, we are on city/rural water. The bill is pretty low - it costs us about 2 bucks for every 750 gallons we use, plus a fee every month of about $30. Our neighbors who didn't hook up to the water, still have a well, but they do without water sometimes as their well is running dry. They also had to purchase and install a large storage tank to try and keep a supply of water on hand. I like knowing water will flow out of the tap when I turn it on, but I would also like to be self-sufficient and have a well.

If you had good water then I would not switch. I don't like the idea of being dependent on the town for water or having them have control over something so vital. When I was looking for land, good water was a key factor for me.

On the other hand if the water you have is really bad then maybe the town water will be better. It certainly will cost more...

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

__________________
SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

both!

One of the greatest things about where I live in North Florida is the quantity and quality of the well water. We draw from about 200 feet in a limestone aquifer, and it is simply the best water I've ever had. We live in a rural area with no mass-scale agriculture and no large industrial activity, so the chance of pollution is minimized. It's a small miracle to see that beautiful clear water flow out of the pipe. Personally, after years of well water, I would hate to drink chlorinated water.

At this moment there are 3 other threads on Homesteading Questions page alone dealing with well problems/issues. While I'm not advocating discontinuing the use of your current well, based on this alone wouldn't you want rural water available at your home? Imagine the luxury of taking your time resolving any one of these three well problems because you have rural water available. My family signed up for four meters where only 2 were needed helping rural water come to our farm. It was worth every dollar.

From what I understand of your whereabouts A.M. I would be guessing you might be getting the great lake rathbun water. It's good. 100 percent good.

__________________
We have now officially entered the twilight zone.

I would not even think of rural water if my well water was fit to drink.We get our water tested occassionaly and it always passes.Rural water is expensive and far less trustworty than well water.

ibcnya We'd be getting our water from Poweshiek Water Association, but I'm not 100% sure where exactly they get their water. In one place on their website, it says they buy it from Cedar Rapids and in another place it says "PWA’s source water comes from eleven (11) Alluvial wells located in the Iowa River Watershed."

Jim S I'm not sure what kind of pipes we have from the well. It was dug sometime in the past 15 years as the previous owners had it done.

There is a significant cost difference between the rural water and just using the well. We pay less than $20/mo for the electricity to run our well and that includes doing laundry, washing dishes by hand, and watering our alpacas. For the rural water, if we use up to 5,000 gallons, it'll cost about $55/mo or if we use between 5,000 and 10,000, it'll cost about $80/mo. Also, there is a $400 membership fee and we would have to pay to have the water actually run from the meter pit to the house.

It does sound like it could benefit us to keep the well and have rural water, too. Use the well to water livestock, garden and other farm necessities and use rural for the house.

Thanks to everyone for your insight!

__________________
Paula

homeschooling mom to 2 awesome boys, married to the man who makes all my dreams come true, and lovin' life on our little farm.

Paula,

Your rural water probably will come from wells anyways. See if you can sample some water from the well where your rural water will come from...that might help you make a decision. Your well water is like my neighbors down the road. It will turn your clothes from the clotheswasher dingy in time. He drilled another well cause his was going dry from the drought. The new well has the same carp water, but plenty of it;-)

RF

__________________
It's not good enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required. - Winston Churchill

My well cost me 9500. plus 2500 for the two pumps back in 1986 - and I find it a bargain after all these years even though two years ago I did have to buy a new submersible pump.

I am careful with my water, but have watered the garden, ran a household with 3 kids and a stable of 20 head of horses, a couple of steers and a few pigs off my well. Never had a problem with it. Nowdays though I use very little water, but when the municipal water goes "bad" from flooding, electrical outtage or spills, I don't have to boil my water.

It happens more frequently than people think - I know at least 3-4 times in the last ten years, for a week or more people had to boil all their water..or...buy water as the power was out or a pump was down and there was no municipal water.

I had water. I gave water to neighbors. They raved over the taste. I hate city water..it tastes like chlorine to me.

Just my opinion, I know there are folks that wouldn't want to depend on a well, but I sort of like that independance!

__________________
Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

Definitely well water.

Getting hooked up to the pipe here is completely a user pay system. The total cost of any new pipe construction is paid by the users along that stretch of pipe. There's an extension going into a rural area not far from here, if the majority of the people on the road want it, everybody along the road gets billed based on the frontage they have. One farm is looking at $50,000 plus whether they get hooked up or not, plus monthly rates. I think the municipality will give them 20 years on payments... lucky them. If any other users get hooked up over that time, they pay their share and it gets rebated to the other users.

If you have the opportunity to buy in the rural water cheap...do it. It is an asset for your property.

I have nasty well water. Rural water is there, but it is now $2000 for a meter. I can't afford if, but I bet it will come up when I sell my house...as far as chemicals go...I am afraid to test my water. At least the county water has to pass tests...

Jena

__________________
...to be a rock and not to roll...

PS...having a way to transfer your water from well to county (IE the basement switch thing) is illegal here, though my farm had the same set up. This is to ensure that the county water system cannot be contaminated by your well. Check on the legality of a switch before you do it.

Jena

__________________
...to be a rock and not to roll...

Paula,

You didn't say if the "rural water" is packaged with "sewer". If you have a holding tank, sewer would be a bargain.

IMPORTANT...

I especially see a problem with your current water. I understand why you are filtering the water to drink. I've seen quite a few scientific reports that conclude that our bodies need the minerals that are found in "unfiltered" water. These minerals help keep us healthy. You might want to drink something like spring water or maybe take a mineral supplement. I would have your current water analyzed and then have a sample of the rural water well that you could receive from analyzed. The county might be able to supply you an free analysis of the "rural water" well you'd be using since it's required by law.

The running of waterlines your way may be a forerunner of "progress" bringing some things with it you might not like...inspectors, non-farm taxes, parcels being broken up into house farms, etc. Keep your ear to the ground and one eye open.

RF

__________________
It's not good enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required. - Winston Churchill