Private well vs. shared well vs. pvt. water co. vs. city water (Phoenix: rental, rental property)

[newnorth777]

I'm in a similiar situation. I'm gathering info with regard to building lots. I'm tracking prices and talking to builders. Here is what I have found regarding wells: this is the desert; ground water is not replenished by surface water (rain); do you really think that drilling a well is a good idea? Underground water sources are not being replenished as they might be in other areas of the country. While a well in the midwest for example, may be a perfectly good idea, wells in the desert are just asking for eventual trouble. Water in general is an issue that Arizona needs to be very concerned about. Take a look at the water level of Lake Pleasant and other similiar water storage res. They are lower than in the past and barely keeping up with demand. Water being brought in by canal is also an issue because of the drought in the mountains. Hauled water - that is like signing up to be held hostage to whatever the future price of water may be. I'm not saying that everyone should panic but all to often, I hear Arizona residents being far to confident that water is not an issue. Water has always been an issue and will continue to be in the future. Based on what I have found, I'm not concidering any property that does not have piped water to the lot. Yes, the cost is more both for the lot and for water bills. But, I feel that I have a much better chance of not having future water issues if I am dealing with a city or water company.

[Zippyman]

City water is cheap here. My last bill from the city of Phoenix was $54, and included sewer, trash service, recycling & assorted taxes. It would take a pretty awesome house to pry me away from the convenience & low-cost of city water & sewer.

[thedwightguy]

Originally Posted by Duramutt

Why do some properties have such large holding tanks. Do the wells run dry often?

We looked at a property with a 2,500 gallon tank and that scared me. We basically have a 40 gallon preasure tank and pump now with no issues in Colorado.

Watering a horse or two? Your power goes out and a 40 gallon isn't going to do much for you. I've installed Federally approved/state licensed water Associations and we'd always have a storage tower gravity fed. It's like an insurance program.

While you're resonding to the well issue you have bought some time.

In the area that the poster is considering buying water is a HUGE ISSUE all the time in quality, quantity, and area. Some areas have ZERO water where they're looking. And of course, no rain to speak of for collection on any level.

[jimj]

I'd looked at buying some land and building a home. After looking into well drilling, looking at well logs for several areas and talking with some people "I" found it's not really the safest or money smart way to go. Two examples stand out, one is my neighbor's dad has a well and has had to have a driller out 3 times over the last 10 years to push deeper.

There's a well rig down the road from where I currently live (303/Olive) and it's been drilling for almost 2 weeks now although they did stop for 3 days, put down the drill rig and got ready to pack up and then put it all back up again and went back to drilling. My guess is they hit water and thought they were done until they had the water tested and found it was no-go.

I believe they're down well over 800 feet right now.
What I'd like to find is a home on city water AND has irrigation rights. If I could afford it I'd buy out in the greater Waddell area. There are mini ranches with city water/septic/irrigation rights.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

City water is cheap here. My last bill from the city of Phoenix was $54, and included sewer, trash service, recycling & assorted taxes. It would take a pretty awesome house to pry me away from the convenience & low-cost of city water & sewer.

While I agree City of Phoenix water is reasonable (compared to other cities), I wouldn't call it cheap, esp. in the summer. At $54 bill, you must use almost no water for outdoor irrigation.

[urbex]

4 year old thread I suspect that $54 is no longer accurate.

But hey...since it's already been brought back up...are those city bills monthly or quarterly? My current trash bill is something like $62/quarter, and the electricity to run my well pump costs me about $15/month.

I may have to move back into the city for work requirements, and these costs are definitely going to be part of what drives me to one area or another. If it really is only $55-ish now, that's really not any significant difference, though I've heard of people complaining of multi-hundred dollar bills from the city.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by DougStark

While I agree City of Phoenix water is reasonable (compared to other cities), I wouldn't call it cheap, esp. in the summer. At $54 bill, you must use almost no water for outdoor irrigation.

My bills are still under $60 most often. You're correct that we don't irrigate anything at this house & everything was drip-irrigated at the old place. As far as "cheap" goes, my parents live in Michigan (the Great Lake state) where digging a three-foot hole will often result in a hole with two feet of water in it within a couple hours & dad's water bill is about $60 (with no irrigation) & doesn't include trash & recycling. Phoenix water is a real bargain by any standard. I haven't seen a $3 car wash in Michigan either, though I suppose it's possible - a "budget" wash without drying is $6 in my old hometown.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by urbex

4 year old thread I suspect that $54 is no longer accurate.

But hey...since it's already been brought back up...are those city bills monthly or quarterly? My current trash bill is something like $62/quarter, and the electricity to run my well pump costs me about $15/month.

I may have to move back into the city for work requirements, and these costs are definitely going to be part of what drives me to one area or another. If it really is only $55-ish now, that's really not any significant difference, though I've heard of people complaining of multi-hundred dollar bills from the city.

That (monthly) bill is water/sewer/trash and recycling, including a free trip to the dump every month & curbside pickups a few times a year. Running the well pump might only cost $15 a month, and trash pickup might only be $20 a month, but that's for just continuing cost, not replacement of a well or septic. In the city, you're allowed to dump a pile of trash "as big as an suv" in your yard several times a year & the city will scoop it up for free. Ditching an old sofa or mattress (or a kitchen) during bulk pickup is pretty darn handy.

Plus, with city water, a softener, carbon-filter, grit filter, pressure tank & gobs of alchemy aren't required to get safe water. You don't know what is in your well water unless you test specifically for that contaminant. Arsenic, radium, pesticides, coliform - running a $200 test for the top thirty possible contaminants doesn't rule out the thirty-first contaminant. If you're happy with a well, you'll be delighted with city water. As foul and nasty as its reputed to be sometimes, it's still way easier & more convenient (and cheaper) than pumping your own.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

That (monthly) bill is water/sewer/trash and recycling, including a free trip to the dump every month & curbside pickups a few times a year. Running the well pump might only cost $15 a month, and trash pickup might only be $20 a month, but that's for just continuing cost, not replacement of a well or septic. In the city, you're allowed to dump a pile of trash "as big as an suv" in your yard several times a year & the city will scoop it up for free. Ditching an old sofa or mattress (or a kitchen) during bulk pickup is pretty darn handy.

Plus, with city water, a softener, carbon-filter, grit filter, pressure tank & gobs of alchemy aren't required to get safe water. You don't know what is in your well water unless you test specifically for that contaminant. Arsenic, radium, pesticides, coliform - running a $200 test for the top thirty possible contaminants doesn't rule out the thirty-first contaminant. If you're happy with a well, you'll be delighted with city water. As foul and nasty as its reputed to be sometimes, it's still way easier & more convenient (and cheaper) than pumping your own.

This is one big reason <bold> why I decided to not continue with my well idea here in AZ. I've had a well but it was up it the rockies before all the cites,company dumping and farms as well as other contaminates can get into the aquifer.
Very cold,crisp and clear with the only worry being too much Iron which you can negate without too much problem.

[vfrpilot]

What I'd like to find is a home on city water AND has irrigation rights.

This ^^ We are on city water and SRP irrigation for the yard. Our lot is over half acre with a lot of grass and trees. City water, including weekly trash, with once a month bulk trash pickup is 40-50 a month. Irrigation water is about 170 a year. The previous owner did a great job leveling the yard and installing pipes, valves, and berms. We would never be able to afford to water our yard on city water without irrigation. It really works well. Our lawn gets water every other week during spring and summer, and stays green even during the hottest of weeks.
We also have 2 septic tanks. The seller had to have the system pumped out and inspected before we bought two years ago and we haven't had any issues.