Converting from well to the county water system

[itsbob]

Hi, all.

So I get it that there are many people out there who are more than happy to be on a well and wouldn't want it any other way. There are families out there, I'm sure, that have been on wells for generations and think it would be weird not to be on one. Then there's the off-the-grid people who like wells for a number of reasons. Definitely a matter of choice and preference.

From our own research and talking to people who own wells, we definitely prefer being on county water. Looking forward to hearing more from "Chuck" (I loved that...lol) Countians on this conversion topic. Thanks!

I'm curious as to your research.. .
I'd dare you to drink our well water and choose ANY municipal water over it.

All for the cost of the electricity to pump it out of the ground.

Of course what's REAL funny, is around here municipal water IS well water.. just chemically treated beyond recognition.

And Sewage is basically a septic system down the road..

 

[officeguy]

you will still be alive when the solairum gets in the water supply and 99% of the populations turns into zombies

There must be a slight solarium contamination in the metcom wells that supply the area around great mills road. Not 99% by any stretch, but definitely some zombies in the shopping plaza down there.

 

[officeguy]

Of course what's REAL funny, is around here municipal water IS well water.. just chemically treated beyond recognition.

Thank god it's well water. Beats river filtrate. Just look at what happend up in West Virginia when the coalmine dumped the soap into the river. 300k people who get their water from the river had to drink bottled water for months.

If you go to some areas in California, there is a big difference between often sulfuric wellwater and the better tasting water piped in from reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada. Around here, county water IS wellwater so the difference is purely in the treatment. The reason the county has to treat the water is because the law says so and they have long pipe runs with potential for contamination. With your private well, you dont have those issues. You can certainly look at your wellwater and decide that you want to treat it. There is equipment available to ajust pH, hardness and you can run it through a UV sterilizer if you are a germophobic.

 

[nutz]

How much could you save if you trenched and laid pipe yourself, so all they would do is the actual hookup? Working a ditch witch is no biggie. Probably wouldn't save much ont he actual cost of the copper, but you'd save labor hours for sure.

Just like working on a house. I'm doing all the kitchen and den tearout myself, plumbing, electrics, will only use a contractor to lay new flooring and cabinets. I've saved 10s of thousands of $ to date.

Highly doubtful you'll find a plumber willing to go that route. In Charles County, you have to hire a licensed plumber to install the tap and meter. Might be some easement issues as well running lines through others property.

The head aches of running a small water system (~38 houses), 5000 gallon tank, two wells and associated piping can be overwhelming. Charles County was petitioned to take over. Two years later, the county has not completed the bidding process and no work has started. The estimated price is now approaching 920,000 for new distribution , hydrants and service taps. The homeowners will be responsible for this bill plus the actual costs of connecting each house (meter) into the system. They are on a temporary connection to the county and pay a monthly usage bill. Repairs can only be completed by the county and get billed on a case by case basis.

be careful what you ask for, you may just get it.