Well water -sharing the source

[intelijoc]

Hello:

The well water source I would have dug has been priced twice:  13.5K-15K.-Yes, water is 250-or as deep as 360.  And a driveway is needed for the well digging rig 2500-3500$.  Is a sharing or tapping into/buying a percentage of another's well water service legal.  Am I on the right track here?

Or does another practical solution exist?  This is a retreat home- not year round. 


Thanks.
DF

[glenn kangiser]

It could be a possibility.  I know of some who have done it.  I don't know if there are any regulations against it or if you even care.

Many here put in a big storage tank and have it delivered.  Some capture rainwater.

Some people can be dealt with on a contract or agreement basis - some can't.

What area are you located in - what issues might you have to deal with?

So - it depends --- to the forum.

[Redoverfarm]

intelijoc   

There is one problem with your solution.  A lot of the times a lender or buyer will bulk at this agreement. I am sure you probably will be alright on your side if you keep it in the family but if at some point it is decided to sell or the other party decised to sell their home it might not happen under this agreement.  Just something to think about.

[MountainDon]

 

We have a friend who bought some land with a water sharing agreement made with the seller. They had a terrible time getting him to hold up his end of the deal. In the end it was better for them to drill their own well and forget about the sellers deal breaking.

[harry51]

Hi, Intelijoc, and welcome!

I've been in the position of sharing a water well with the neighbor. In my case, the well was on a commercial property I bought, and the neighbor's property had once been part of my parcel. Before the parcel split a house was built for a family member and water was plumbed to it from the existing well. Eventually, the part with the house was split off, and an easement was recorded granting access to the well until such time as the house property no longer got its water from the well, or municpal water had been available for 90 days, at which time all rights reverted to the parcel I bought. (I hope this is somewhat clearer than mud...)

Anyhow, we had two pumps in one well. Each pump had its own electric metering. For the most part there was not too much aggravation, but there was some, and it depended entirely on who the neighbors happened to be at the time.

The two systems had a pipe with a valve in it between them, so if one went down, the other could supply both until repairs could be made. This was the cause of so much trouble with one freeloading neighbor that I had to remove the pipe!

Another problem was that two 4" pumps won't pass each other in a 7" well casing, so if the lower pump needed attention, both had to be pulled and reinstalled.

Bottom line is I would never share a well again if there was any other way to get water.

[JRR]

As Harry51 points out, sharing water wells can lead to later problems.  Such situations seem to always start with family arrangements or someone builds "something to rent-out".

I know of a similar, though more involved, situation where a split-off house and small lot share a septic system with the main house and property.  Can you imagine what this can lead to!  Who pays for septic field and tank maintenance?  I (the nosey neighbor) continue to watch as this story evolves.  The original owner now has sold both properties to second owners and has moved on.  Because of terrain and lot size, only the main property has a suitable drain field area ... and it will be decades before municipal sewer systems come to this neighborhood.  This makes the split-off property totally dependent on the main.  I would guess the septic system now serves 16 - 20 persons, and was probably originally sized for a couple or so.

Hauling in fresh water is always a possibility ... but hauling out that other stuff!  Ugh!  And where do you take it?  (Guess I better stay alert to any new ditches being dug in my direction!)

[intelijoc]

JRR, Harry51,MountainDon, Redoverfarm,glenn kangiser;

I must say- so much for sharing our toys like we learned way back... Well, hmmm- that was great information!!
Property is located in Colorado,Park County.  I know of one building code aspect regarding windspeed;  110 with 3 second burst-but I'm jumping the gun here.

Well drilling breaks down like this:  local company whose been there done that- I may want to counter his price.
A couple drillers drom Denver:  company 1) never done " a job like that" - thanks but no thanks   company 2) price is not set foot=xdollars, "we'll figure that out when we start." Uh, what? yikes!

Happy Holidays;

intelijoc

[glenn kangiser]

I'm a driller also and can tell you, local drillers will have a much better knowledge of what it takes in your area.  Reliability and scruples should be well known in the area - check around. 

[NM_Shooter]

  This is a retreat home- not year round. 


Thanks.
DF

How much time are you going to spend there?  What area of the country are you in? 

For the cost of that well, I would be tempted to put in a 1000 gallon cistern and pay someone to fill it once in awhile (or build a rainwater filtration system for it.  Chlorinate it whenever you first arrive.  Bring your drinking water along with you and use the cistern for washing.

Good luck!

-f-