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Old 04-20-2016, 01:07 AM
 
53 posts, read 88,573 times
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If I buy a home up in the hills there will I end up drinking roof water 20 years from now?
I will add I love the city and the people.
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Old 04-26-2016, 12:21 PM
 
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It depends on where you buy and the individual property. Some areas "in the hills" have city water. Others do rely on wells. Some properties with wells get excellent water flow; others have to go deep just to get a trickle.

If you are considering a home with well water only, you will want to hire a well inspector to inspect the well and pump. They'll be able to tell you about the gallons per minute (or flow rate) of the well on the property, and give you some idea about the chances of it having problems in the near future. Also, bear in mind that there are maintenance costs associated with wells and well pumps to be aware of -- the water doesn't end up being totally "free". A good well inspector/well driller should be able to give you an assessment of how well a well and pump have been maintained and any issues that need to be addressed on the property. Ideally, pick a well company that knows the area, as they will be able to tell you if other wells nearby have had problems with water flow during drought. If you are thinking about buying land and building, a well drilling company with experience in your area can give you an estimate of how far down you'll need to drill and what your likely flow rate will be. Again, I wouldn't buy land without paying for a well drill company I trusted to give me this estimate. And, I would not buy any well-dependent property that has less than 10 gallons per minute well flow, as that is just asking for trouble.

I live in East County (Jamul) and we have the best of both worlds - we have city water, but also put in a well for irrigation and watering our animals. Our well is on a good vein of water, and we have an excellent flow rate (40 gpm) that has not been affected by any of the droughts we've had over the last 30 years. If we needed to, we could switch to city water only, or to well water only without a problem. However, a few miles away from us, we know people who do not have city water and have had their well run dry at times and have had to truck in water. We also know people in that same area who have great wells that never have problems. So, again, it really depends on where you buy and the individual property's water access.

Dont believe anyone (especially a realtor) who tells you that "all of the wells in XYZ area are great!" or those who say "all wells run dry in a drought." Wells vary from property to property, and even next door neighbors can have different well flows. The people to talk to are the well drillers/inspectors, and the best drillers are brutally honest about what you can expect from an individual piece of property. Or, just look for a property that is hooked up to city water like we did.

Do also consider the fact that homes in any rural or semi rural area in the back country are at greater risk for wild fires. I would say that is probably a bigger worry than the well running dry for most back country home owners. However, despite that risk, we love the privacy, quiet, and space we have, and yet we're just 30 minutes from downtown San Diego so I can get my fix of "city and people" whenever I want.

Good luck!

Last edited by RosieSD; 04-26-2016 at 12:32 PM..
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Old 04-26-2016, 12:56 PM
 
53 posts, read 88,573 times
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Thanks a bunch Rosie
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Old 04-26-2016, 05:01 PM
 
Location: San Diego
50,060 posts, read 46,570,390 times
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Trucking in water would really suck.
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Old 04-26-2016, 09:04 PM
 
Location: San Diego CA>Tijuana, BC>San Antonio, TX
6,477 posts, read 7,424,489 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Russell View Post
If I buy a home up in the hills there will I end up drinking roof water 20 years from now?
I will add I love the city and the people.
Where abouts do you plan to live? I live in the semi-rural hills and have city water via Lakeside water district. Even the homes further out from me in Eucalyptus Hills who run on septic and propane at least have city water.
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Old 04-26-2016, 11:44 PM
 
9,522 posts, read 30,349,200 times
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Even up in pine valley and descanso they have water districts. You really would try to avoid buying a home on a well in SoCal.
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