In regard to the discussion between Valveman and Twowaxhack about the plusses and minuses of well water vs municipal water, I wanted to mention something else. I've been in the construction trade for 40+ years, up and down both coasts and in the Rocky Mountain region, rural and urban. I wanted to mention a 3rd scenario that I had never encountered until I built my house in Raleigh, NC.
I live in Wake County, which is quite large and I have a "Raleigh" address, but I am outside of the Raleigh city limits and do not receive Raleigh city services. Those city services that I do not receive include water and sewer (and trash collection). But, my property taxes are also literally half that of a property within the city limits. ($6000 vs. $12,000 for the assessed value), so I am saving $6000 per year on property taxes. With that savings, I'm responsible for finding my own water, sewer service, and trash collection. When I do construction on my property, I am subject to Wake County permitting and inspections and not Raleigh city permitting and inspections.....2 distinct and different building departments. I live in the northern part of this area and I am in the watershed of Raleigh's primary water source, Falls Lake. If you are in the Falls Lake watershed, you are subject to minimum 1-acre zoning so that density does not adversely impact the environment of Falls Lake, the city's drinking water reservoir. But "North Raleigh" is a popular residential area, and there are many subdivisions in this area, all with 1-acre or greater zoning.
Here's where it gets interesting. Because there was no municipal water source for this part of the greater metropolitan area, private water companies sprung up to supply these neighborhoods. There were several small private water companies in this area. They had their own water towers, had their own multiple wells, and had their own giant septic systems to serve entire neighborhoods. In the last 20 years or so these small private companies have been bought up by a large, national, private-water-supply company, called Aqua America. They serve areas in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Texas (so Valveman might be familiar with them). In my area, they are now a monopoly. They are the only source of water and sewer service for multiple neighborhoods in my area. Every house in my neighborhood is served by this company, and it is mandated by the covenants of the neighborhood. Some of my property is not part of the neighborhood so I do not have to connect to Aqua. Their rates continue to climb every year. For basic water and sewer, with no use for watering a garden, my neighbors are paying $150 - $160 per month. And the service and the water quality are terrible. Everyone needs a backwash filter and softening system. The NC Utilities Commission that supposedly regulates this company does nothing. This year, the rate increase is 20+%. My neighbors have no alternative. I'm on well and septic and I'm very hands-on, but this is the first time I've lived with well and septic. Despite them being brand new when I built my house, I have had my share of problems with both systems, but I've learned to do my own repairs. I have a pump system on my septic and have had to replace the pump and have problems regularly with the float switches, but I now know how to deal with those problems without needing a $250 service call every time something malfunctions. I'm on my second submersible well pump, but when my second pump was installed, I also installed a Cycle Stop Valve, and knock on wood, I have not had any well-related problems for several years now. But still, without fail, I end up spending $750-$1000 each year on my water and septic system between repairs, regular maintenance, filtration elements and softening supplies. It's been 7 years now that I've been in the house, so history has now shown that those costs are not going to disappear, no matter how well I try to keep things maintained. They happen every year, one way or another.
So if you average out those annual costs on a monthly basis, they are comparable to what my water and sewer costs would be if I lived inside the Raleigh city limits. They are significantly less than what they would be if I were attached to Aqua America. But I do worry about what my wife will do if I croak before she does. My septic service contractor is great, but I need to find a good well contractor she can rely on if she has problems.
