Spring For Drinking Water?

tamsam · #21 04/03/10, 12:30 AM

Where has the water been that the city uses. Most lakes and bodies of water that cities use have ducks and a lot of time dead animals in them. River water has clean water dumped back into them upstream of where you are. My son works in a water treatment plant and they use a lot of chemicals to try to make the water safe. Even a deep well system has to be treated with chemicals. So yep there isn't much clean water left. Maybe safe water but CLEAN? Sam

Johnny Dolittle · #22 04/03/10, 03:43 AM

If you have a spring used before law was passed then you are grandfathered in...

lisa's garden · #23 04/03/10, 07:30 AM

Just jumping into the spring debate here...I think that whether or not the spring water would be safe to use, and where you locate the outhouse, will depend on your soil type, the type of subsoil and bedrock, and how deep that spring water is coming from. I think you find out a lot from the county and maybe even from your local extension office. They should have topography maps with the soil types listed and you might even be able to find out about the bedrock from them. I am unsure about who to contact to determine the depth of your spring, but if you can find a geologist friend who likes beer, maybe you could get an informal opinion over a cold one...chill the beer in the spring and crack it open.

The farther down hill your outhouse is from the spring, the better.

ChristieAcres · #24 04/03/10, 11:33 AM

Wells are common where I live. The fact there was a private well on this property was a MAJOR selling point to us. No expensive $$$water bill$$$ On water quality? Ours requires filtration due to minerals, NOT contaminants. Now, that said, the original owners blew it when they drilled this well. There is Artesian Water down there, need to drill deeper to hit it! That is as pure as it gets, tested, and not filtered (a lot of the neighboring properties have Artesian Wells). When finances allow, we plan to drill another well and abandon the current one.

On springs? We have one in our forest (about 5 acres). I'd like to get a hand-pump, so it could be a back emergency water source. Purity? No chemicals are used on our property, and the spring isn't anywhere near any source of contamination. Of course, I'd bring in some to have it tested.

Certainly there are areas in our Country where pure clean water is hard to find. Here it isn't! It is just challenging to find properties with wells drawing from the best water sources. Naturally, there are properties with wells producing water with higher mineral content.

GoldenCityMuse · #25 04/03/10, 11:40 AM

Just don't talk about your spring. Or you can say you cleaned i tup and found the remains of a rock wall some early settler used to get water from the spring.

Johnny Dolittle · #26 04/03/10, 11:55 AM

Bacterial Coliform counts can be used to suggest that sewage has entered ground water, however not a conclusive test .... most springs have coliform bacteria around here ... but many wells also have a high count. To be safe we installed an ultraviolet filter since renters also use same water. Sewage system here is below level where water exits spring... but .... underground water can be under pressure and travel up against gravity .... an example is artesian wells

meanwhile · #27 04/03/10, 02:45 PM

I do not understand your land spacing.....but as for springs. We have a deep spring, the "head" of it is is only on our land and we have about 35 acres behind the spring....so we know what can go "in" it and around it. It is way far away from the house but what we did was to set a new cement septic tank in the ground below the spring, it gravity feeds and collect 1,000 to 1,200 gallons of water.........then we pump it up to the house.....into a 2nd new cement septic tank and it holds another 1,200 gallons.

The upper tank (near the house) has a "float switch" on it and it "calls" for water when needed. It all works just fine.

My point is that you would not have to build the house close to the spring. You could pump the water where you need the water.

Test the water first.......but we also use a UV cleaner / filter inside the house too. We do not clean the water for use in garden or barn.......but we clean the water inside the house "just in case."

Good luck

meanwhile · #28 04/03/10, 02:49 PM

I just read more of the other replies.....and I have to say that YES there is good clean water from the ground! We have two good springs on our property and the water from both tests cleaner than "city water" levels. Our sons' house in town uses "city water" but we take our spring water in bottles to town for drinking.

If you have a good strong clean spring then use it! Don't put any Out House near or above it and keep people and animals OFF the sides and top of it. We "capped" ours.......we cleaned it out, put a layer of clean rock in the "head" ......topped it with landscape cloth.......more rock.......more cloth.......then clay and dirt.....no one is allowed on it or near it......it has an "over flow" spout......

We also do something "different" to "re-charge" one spring. If you are interested, then private message me and I will give more details.

Good springs are wonderful and valuable resources. Take care of them.

big rockpile · #29 04/03/10, 03:01 PM

Well today I found where the other spring is upstream from the other one.So plenty of water.

big rock pile

marvella · #30 04/03/10, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meanwhile

I just read more of the other replies.....and I have to say that YES there is good clean water from the ground! We have two good springs on our property and the water from both tests cleaner than "city water" levels. Our sons' house in town uses "city water" but we take our spring water in bottles to town for drinking.

If you have a good strong clean spring then use it! Don't put any Out House near or above it and keep people and animals OFF the sides and top of it. We "capped" ours.......we cleaned it out, put a layer of clean rock in the "head" ......topped it with landscape cloth.......more rock.......more cloth.......then clay and dirt.....no one is allowed on it or near it......it has an "over flow" spout......

We also do something "different" to "re-charge" one spring. If you are interested, then private message me and I will give more details.

Good springs are wonderful and valuable resources. Take care of them.

i guess you are on the other side of the mtns from me.i know where there are some good clean springs in the mtns. AR, where br lives, is a whole other ball game.

#31 04/04/10, 11:00 PM

Just for the heck of it I thought I would tell this true little story . I knew an older lady that had a spring . This spring came out of the hill probably 4 or 5 feet above a small year round creek . She had a cement spring box with a small dam built around it . Less than a mile upstream was a dairy farm . The cows waded , drank & you know what all else in this creek . Every time the creek got high it would flood over into her spring box area . This was her homeplace where she grew up & she lived to be 97 . Was still milking her cow , raising a garden , driving & keeping chickens until she was 91 .

ChristieAcres · #32 04/04/10, 11:05 PM

Hmmmm, test the water, first?! Cow poo water

Sparticle · #33 04/22/10, 11:45 AM

Anyone have any suggestions for books on building a spring house?

Bandit · #34 04/22/10, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wis Bang 2

Poland Spring water is only a few more cents than the nestle 'filtered' public water at Wal*Mart...worth every penny to me!

You might enjoy reading this report , or not .
Mass. requires the source of water be reported. Look at NWAF on Report .
http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph...instate_a1.pdf
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/ne...gham-tap-water

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?1125

Our town water is so overloaded with chlorine and fluoride ( town voted it down , but the powers to be put it in anyways as it is good for us) We buy spring water at . 25 a gallon then run it through a Brita filter for drinking .
Bob

whodunit · #35 04/22/10, 01:48 PM

Well there was my great grandmother that got her drinking water out of a creek. One time in the 60's my dad went to visit her and took a hike up the creek.

Found a dead cow in the creek. Needless to say he didnt drink water out of the creek anymore LOL

Great grandma lived to be in her 90's and up on her roof fixing it in her 90's.

fantasymaker · #36 04/22/10, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Dolittle

Hmmmmmmmmmm wish I lived in your state .... here in Pa. we are no longer permitted to develop a spring as a water source for a home. And some in the legislature would like to put meters on you spring and charge you for your water. Be sure you get the water tested.
.... also outhouses and springs don't mix JMO LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Vet

Some of them are from wells so you might be better to get yours from a spring because like they said there is no pure or safe water in the ground.

LOL a well is just a man made spring!

Shadow · #37 04/22/10, 11:20 PM

We have a spring that furnishes our water. We own the whole water shed that feeds it. several hills and hollows between us and neighbors. All the hollows are lower than our spring. Its been in constant use since before the civil war. The city water is not advalible to us. They get the water from the Tenn river. Chattanoga uses it first, flushes it and then Guntersville drinks it, flushes it and then Scottosboro drinks it flushes it and then Huntsville drinks it and flushes it and then Decatur drinks it and flushes it then Florence gets it out and treats it. Hey I want to drink that. There used to be a sign on the wall in a restroom in a building in Florence that said FLUSH TWICE SHEFFIELD NEEDS THE WATER. They were just down river from Florence.

Bandit · #38 04/23/10, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadow

We have a spring that furnishes our water. We own the whole water shed that feeds it. several hills and hollows between us and neighbors. All the hollows are lower than our spring. Its been in constant use since before the civil war. The city water is not advalible to us. They get the water from the Tenn river. Chattanoga uses it first, flushes it and then Guntersville drinks it, flushes it and then Scottosboro drinks it flushes it and then Huntsville drinks it and flushes it and then Decatur drinks it and flushes it then Florence gets it out and treats it. Hey I want to drink that. There used to be a sign on the wall in a restroom in a building in Florence that said FLUSH TWICE SHEFFIELD NEEDS THE WATER. They were just down river from Florence.

Shadow
Have You thought of bottling Your water and selling out of state to the city folks to water and fertilize there gardens ?

Or would that fall under the interstate shipping of hazardous waste Laws ?
Bob

Bandit · #39 04/23/10, 02:06 AM

Rock
Why don't You just move the boundary over ?
Or just bury a pipe to your own little spring house ? on Your side .
It doesn't sound like anyone would bother You where You are from what You have described before . LOL
Bob