More than 42 million residents in the US have well water.
Why?
There are many benefits to having well water vs. city water; the most notable being financial and environmental. Walking away from city tap water provides a certain amount of freedom and independence but also an added layer of responsibility.
One of the reasons some people prefer city water is because of the maintenance and responsibility tied to having a well. While private wells are safe, that safety is your responsibility (for example, it is up to you to do your annual testing).
It’s important to monitor a private well because you’re the only one that will. Bacteria can enter your well through damaged castings or shallow walls.
So talk to a specialist about the type of well, the geology of your soil, and the location of the well.
If you don’t double-check everything, the water may not be as pure as you think—it could cause illness.
If you have covered all your bases, you’re well on your way to benefiting in a big way. The following are the top benefits of choosing well water vs. city water.
1. Increased Property Value
Having an independent water source almost automatically increases your property’s appeal. You can up your asking price because of the other benefits of having a well on your property.
2. Cost Savings
Providing your own water source is essentially free. It will cost you some money to maintain your water system, and an initial building cost, but that money shouldn’t compare to the cost of municipal systems.
Having your own well means no monthly water bill.
3. Health Safety
Well water typically tastes better due to the lack of added chemicals (ask anyone). Public water is treated with chlorine, fluoride, and other harsh and dangerous chemicals.
Well water travels straight up from the ground; you get all the health benefits of clean water with none of the harsh chemical additives. Just make sure to check the area around your well and, again, test it annually.
Anything that does happen to your water source is easily treatable with affordable water well treatment services.
4. Reliability
You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Most people don’t think about losing their water source but it can happen.
From broken mains and boil advisories to other emergencies, issues with public water utilities are not uncommon.
All of this, compiled with the effect that time will have on infrastructure across the nation, means that nothing is guaranteed. What is guaranteed is that if you have your own private well, you will be able to oversee and immediately fix any issues.
5. Environmentally Friendly
Since a private well is all-natural, none of those same added chemicals in the public water system affect the earth.
Healthy ecosystems consist of animals, plants, and bacteria. Harm to any one of these things can have an adverse chain reaction on the environment. For example, if any harmful chemicals get into a lake or marine environment, they could negatively impact that ecosystem.
What’s the Verdict?: Well Water Vs. City Water
So ask yourself if a private well is right for you. The only pitfalls are those tied to maintenance, if that doesn’t bother you (or you’re a do it yourself-er) then the benefits of well water vs. city war far outweigh the drawbacks. Unless, of course, you like the taste of tap water (we doubt that).
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