Use of cisterns in foothills properties? (Loveland: lenders, how much, house)

[modelerr]

Have been house hunting in the foothills areas of Loveland & FC. Seems like every home we’ve looked at contains a private well & a cistern. I confess not to understand the use & prevalence of cisterns. Back east, we have an underground well – water is pumped directly into a water tank inside the house. No cistern. I figure cistern usage is somehow related to scarcity of water in these areas, but don’t know how to integrate this into my house-hunting due diligence. Can anyone help?

[Sasha's]

You are right.. sort of...
Cisterns are usually because either the cost of a well is prohibitive or because there is no water to drill to. Or because the water is known to be bad.
Remember that if you want to buy most lenders will not lend without a public water source.
Water can be expensive to haul in. Hundreds of dollars depending on how much you use. Look for a house with water-not well wTer but public. I am spell ng a small ranch in Wy and not having public water has been a problem. Next spring our county water will be in Yippee!

[modelerr]

Thanks for your reply Sasah’s. Most of the cisterns I’ve seen out here accompany private wells, which are the norm for foothills’ properties. They seem to serve as intermediate holding vessels, i.e., between the well and the water tank in the home. I’m not sure whether they also collect rainwater, to supplement the well water. I take it as a given that if I buy a mountain home it should come with a private well as the primary water source. However, I’m unclear as to whether the co-presence of a cistern signals the well may be inadequate, or alternately, whether it may somehow be more efficient to pump from the well into the cistern, and then into the home water tank, rather than from the well into the tank directly.

[Mike Weber]

The presence of a cistern may indicate a slow flow rate from the well. The well may not pump enough to keep up with showers or laundry washing, so the cistern would act as a holding reservoir for high water use activities.

You can check the well flow rate on the well permit by visiting the Colorado Water Engineer's website and searching for the permit / property info:
State of Colorado Water Resources - Well Permit Search

[modelerr]

Mike, thanks very much for the well-permit link - very useful.