Septic and Well Water? (Austin, Spring: foreclosure, HOA, house)

[byebyegreyskies]

Hi All-- My husband and I just visited Austin last weekend as we're considering moving there from Seattle. The weather was fabulous, and our 17-month-old daughter didn't know quite what that big bright thing up in the sky was, but she seemed to like Austin anyway

We spent a lot of time driving around looking at various areas. Maybe too much driving around because we feel now even more confused about where we want to be. There is just too much opportunity.

We're seriously thinking about the Dripping Springs area, which I've noticed many commenters on this site are considering as well. But we're a little confused and maybe leery of the whole septic tank/well water issue you find in many areas out that way. We aren't opposed to a place that has septic/well, but we just don't know how to take care of it and what costs having such “amenities” incurs.

Would someone please explain to this city slicker exactly how septic works, what the costs are of maintaining it. And for well water, what happens in a drought? Is there any pesticide runoff in the well water?

And if anyone has any other areas to recommend we’re all ears. Location doesn’t matter a great deal as I work f/t from home (need internet!) and my husband is away on business m-f (so reasonable proximity to the airport is good.)

[SIZE=3]Thanks in advance![/SIZE]

[IC_deLight]

Nothing wrong with septic. If you have a choice, however, you would prefer a conventional septic rather than an aerobic septic system. The aerobic systems require registration of annual service contracts with the county. You don't have to worry about such contracts or with all the extra requirements (e.g., chlorine tablets, aerator, pop-up sprinklers & alarm) if you rely on conventional.

As far as wells are concerned, many areas of Dripping Springs are served by LCRA or private water companies. Frankly, I would rather have my own well than be forced to purchase from these entities. Nonetheless, if you are purchasing a resale home you should invest in both a septic inspection and a well test. You will also want to verify the depth of the well - get the records from the state or the groundwater conservation district.

Don't be deceived by the "nice" looking homes in Belterra or some of those newer subdivisions. They may look nice but Texas has HOA laws that are very unfriendly to the actual homeowner. These HOAs can be very rude awakening to out-of-state folks. The HOAs can fine and foreclose on homes. There is no court involved in the fining business. In addition several of these "nice looking" subdivisions have central gas systems where you don't get to choose the vendor or the price. If you don't like living somewhere where you are threatened with foreclosure because an anonymous individual "reported or observed" something, then steer well away from these HOAs. The management companies are incentivized to fine and there is no court involved so there is no due process, equal protection, right to confront accuser, or even trial by an impartial tribunal.

With respect to Internet, it may depend on where you are located. Some areas are served by Time Warner (cable). WildBlue and other satellite providers are also available. I'm presently using a microwave radio system that I'm very happy with and it is less expensive than the other options. In addition to high speed, the upload and download are symmetric so upload is much faster than what you experience with cable.

[byebyegreyskies]

Thanks for the answers, IC. I didn't even realize there were two kinds of septic you could have!

If you have a well, do you need to put fluoride into the water?

[Driftwood1]

It can get pretty complicated, and I would read up a bit on it, may save you some money down the road .

Wells---
Confirm the depth, location and which aquifer it's supposed to be on. Some in Hays were drilled very shallow IMHO. Have the water tested before you buy, not just the little test, but have it sent away and really checked out.
You also cant just say "it has a well" and leave it at that. Does it have a storage tank? (easier on the submerged pump, and nice to have 2000 gal on reserve at any time.)
Treatment varies widely, and the equipment isnt cheap. We have 2000G storage tank, with drip feed Chlorinator, followed by a huge Carbon Filter, followed by a water softener. We dont add flouride but you can..
Then finally in the house we run 2 reverse osmosis filters. Overkill, perhaps, but on the other end of the scale , I wouldnt want a shallow well pumped straight into the house, which has been done...

As for septic, VERY few are being approved for conventional with new construction round these parts, you'll almost surely have an aerobic one on a newer house.
If you buy a house with a conventional system, have it pumped and inspected before you buy. There is nothing wrong with the older system provided they are sized right.

Hope this helps,
Cheers

[Moonlady]

I've had a septic tank in every house I've lived in for the last 30 years in Central Texas. If they are constructed properly and built correctly for the size of the house you should have no problems at all. The only problems I've had were related to mistakes that were made during installation and once those were fixed, everything was fine. My neighbor just pumped hers for the first time and the house was built in the mid-80's. You should be OK there.

[HappyTexan]

When you live with a septic you learn to conserve water. No 5 loads of laundry per day

But conserving water is a good thing !

[IC_deLight]

Originally Posted by byebyegreyskies

Thanks for the answers, IC. I didn't even realize there were two kinds of septic you could have!

If you have a well, do you need to put fluoride into the water?

This is really a personal preference issue, however, you can look at the reports from TCEQ regarding the content of water in the area. Wherever you are looking there is probably a commercial water supply company that is drawing water from the same source. These entities must provide "consumer confidence reports" every year. Those reports are available online from TCEQ's water databases. I am not aware of anyone "adding" fluoride to private wells used for drinking water. If you are concerned about the fluouride content you can easily make up for it by fluoride supplements from a dentist.

[HappyTexan]

If you can get nice well water to drink..I would not want fluoride in it. Do some searching on it before you decide. You are better off without fluoride.

[byebyegreyskies]

Can someone explain to me how the septic doesn't contaminate the well water? It seems like the leach field could contaminate the water. Can it contaminate a vegetable garden? Or would it be like fertilizer?

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by byebyegreyskies

Can someone explain to me how the septic doesn't contaminate the well water? It seems like the leach field could contaminate the water. Can it contaminate a vegetable garden? Or would it be like fertilizer?

Your well is going to be pulling water from the aquifer...at least 500 feet down...more likely greater than 700 feet...through solid rock.

If your poo can penetrate far enough to harm your well water, you've got a more serious problem to address.