Cost of Water Well in Malibu

[TomFalater]

I was shocked to discover that it costs over $100,000 to put in a water well in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu.

The driller told me he typically has to go down 800 to 1,200 feet and the average cost is around 100K to 125K.

Just shocking. And this is for an average house 1,700 sq. feet. For winery's, it's much higher. He said he just did a well for a country club that ended up costing them 800K !

I don't suppose anyone knows of any way around this? Or less expensive alternatives?

Thomas Falater

 

[KULTULZ]

... damn...

 

[Chris]

Call an out of town driller?

 

[Valveman]

Call an out of town driller?

All the drillers in California are from out of town. When they figured out how much they could charge in CA, many drillers moved there. That is a deep well and it will cost a lot. Even in Texas it would cost 50K or so. But with all the emission control, environmental, and other regulations in CA, it is a wonder it doesn't cost a lot more than 100K.

 

[Chris]

That same well in my neighborhood of ca is about 25k

 

[SHEPLMBR]

And what kind of flow/pump do you require? Drilling and dropping pipe is not as cheap as some would have you believe. There is a lot that goes into it. And from what I understand things are more expensive out there because of regulations, but I dunno.

 

[havasu]

Something nobody has touched on is the fact that the land in that area is about as expensive as you can get. If you can't afford it, well, maybe you can buy a few acres in Detroit?

It shouldn't be different just because of the location, but it is.

 

[Chris]

That's what I was getting at. Most all the extra cost is because these are rich folk. When I do pipeline in that area I only charge a little more because of travel time. It's a couple hours from my shop. The depth will make the cost go up a little per foot. I'm surprised they are still allowing wells in that area. Most of California is pushing against them.

 

[SHEPLMBR]

The depth of the water table and how far down they go also needs to be taken into account.

 

[Valveman]

That same well in my neighborhood of ca is about 25k

Would that also be for 1200'? And would they be drilling through the same kinds of formations? It all sounds high to me. When I stopped drilling in the 90's we were only getting about 8 bucks a foot.

 

[Chris]

Yes a shallow 400-600 foot well Costa about 10-12k to drill here. Depending on who you call anyway.

 

[TomFalater]

Thanks for the replies. A lot of it does have to do with the expensive permits and regulations out here. Plus they know they can get away with charging more in that area so they do. The really expensive land is the view lots, land that has a view of the ocean, they can be a million for 1/2 acre. For a non view lot in the mountains above Malibu (about 8 miles from the coast), you'll pay about 200K for 1/2 acre if it's relatively flat. Problem is that the well is going to cost 125K. Some of the land up there has city water but not all.

The regulations are crazy here. They even protect oak trees. You can't cut them down or even trim them without a permit. Even on your own land. When land is surveyed, the surveyor tags and numbers each tree on your lot. To cut or trim one tree, the permit is 1K for more than one it's 9K and you have to hire a tree specialist to submit a report as to why you are cutting or trimming that tree. If you're doing construction work near an oak tree, you have to put up a little fence around it's drip line and all work under the tree must be done by hand. And.....get this...you have to hire a tree monitor to stand by the tree to make sure it is safe during the work. Not kidding.

Tom Falater

 

[SHEPLMBR]

Sounds like to me a lot of hassle

 

[KULTULZ]

CA is a beautiful state, but Democrat Liberals such as Gov Moon Beam have made it impossible to live in.

 

[donald_w]

How about a cistern to collect rainwater? Common in Mexico. Becoming more common even in red-state Texas.

 

[Logan Flanagan]

Thanks for the replies. A lot of it does have to do with the expensive permits and regulations out here. Plus they know they can get away with charging more in that area so they do. The really expensive land is the view lots, land that has a view of the ocean, they can be a million for 1/2 acre. For a non view lot in the mountains above Malibu (about 8 miles from the coast), you'll pay about 200K for 1/2 acre if it's relatively flat. Problem is that the well is going to cost 125K. Some of the land up there has city water but not all.

The regulations are crazy here. They even protect oak trees. You can't cut them down or even trim them without a permit. Even on your own land. When land is surveyed, the surveyor tags and numbers each tree on your lot. To cut or trim one tree, the permit is 1K for more than one it's 9K and you have to hire a tree specialist to submit a report as to why you are cutting or trimming that tree. If you're doing construction work near an oak tree, you have to put up a little fence around it's drip line and all work under the tree must be done by hand. And.....get this...you have to hire a tree monitor to stand by the tree to make sure it is safe during the work. Not kidding.

Tom Falater

Hey just curious what, if anything, came of this project? Currently trying to budget for something similar, but for a plot of land relatively low elevation compared to most of the Santa Monica mountains (1400-1500 feet). Just want to put an airstream on the land for now so I'd be using relatively low water even compared to a smaller single family residence. Not that would probably matter when well drilling but did this end up working out? If so do you have any resources or reputable companies you worked with?

 

[havasu]

Just curious, but do you own or lease the land?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Thread is 8 yrs old so the price wouldn’t be relevant. Call well drillers in that area and ask.