Buying A Home With Well Water

It isn’t exactly new news that, due to the pandemic, some urbanites are packing up and heading for the greener pastures (literally) of the suburbs.

As a result, realtors in places like Katonah, Goldens Bridge, Somers, North Salem, Waccabuc, and Purdys are experiencing a boom in residential buying and selling.

Often, buyers looking around Katonah, Goldens Bridge, Somers, North Salem, Waccabuc, Cross River, etc., are surprised to learn that the water for many homes comes from private wells located on the property.

For someone who’s never lived outside a major metro area, it’s understandable that the idea of well water can raise concerns. Living in the city, one turns on the tap and, voila – out comes an unlimited supply of safe, drinkable water.

The idea of getting water from a well, however, that seems a lot different, doesn’t it? All of a sudden you can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to live in a house that has well water. Is that stuff even safe to drink? Am I going to have to spend money on bottled water? What if the well runs dry? Then what?

We all have concerns about new stuff. As human beings, we don’t like unfamiliar territory. (Unless we’re on vacation. For some reason, unfamiliar is fun when we’re on vacation.)

All that said, if you’re thinking about moving into a home that’s serviced by a private well, here’s some info which might help put your mind at ease.

First, private wells hardly ever run dry. And you don’t have to take my word for it. Rather, consider the economic consequences of what would happen if wells ran dry with any frequency: news of dry wells would make its way online from frustrated homeowners, which would then adversely affect property sales, which would then adversely affect local property tax revenue, which would then either result in a seriously depressed area or force towns to remedy the situation with municipal water sources, etc.

Even if, in the unlikely event a well runs dry, all hope is not lost. Rather, another well can be dug on the same property. It’s not without its costs, of course, but a dry well does not mean a property immediately loses all value.

Second, whether well water is safe to drink is a question most buyers raise – as they should. To address the concern, Westchester county passed a law in 2007 that requires property seller’s to have the well water tested by a certified lab.

Labs test the water for different . . . stuff. Rather than try to explain, here’s a screenshot of a recent test result:

One of the more important measurements is bacteria. In the image above, you can see where the lab director marked the report to identify that the water “was” of a “satisfactory sanitary quality[.]”

Sweet.

Of course, there are occasions when a test identifies bacteria in the water. This seems to happen with properties that have been vacant for some time. While I’m neither an engineer nor a water quality professional, bacteria seems to form in the well due to the lack of frequent water flow. This is commonly remedied by “shocking” the well – adding some bleach which kills the bacteria. The bacteria and bleach is then flushed out of the system by running the water in the house .

And even if the shocking process fails, a water purification system can be installed in the home that kills the bacteria as the water travels from the well to the faucets.

If you’re on the market and looking at homes that have private wells, I hope the above information helps shed light on an important area that may feel unfamiliar. Of course, where a house gets it water from and the quality of the water is something that should be taken seriously, so I’m not suggesting you should indifferently sweep aside any concerns. However, rest assured that solutions are available to homeowners should any water problems arise.

Good luck!