Costs of tapping into City Water

[Tracey J Brown]

Hello-

We just purchased a new construction 3000 sq. ft. 4 bedroom, 4 bath home with a well and septic. The well has had some issues with high coliform and in the past tested positive for E.coli. It's been flushed a few times and is now negative, but because it shows other high levels, nitrates and copper, we are looking into tapping into City water. I called the city and they said we would be able to connect, but we would have to pay all of the costs. They also said that since water and sewer are both available, they may require that we do both. The tap in fee alone, is $2200. Does anyone know the approximate cost for the contracting work, materials etc.
The water and sewer lines are 528 ft away. I am working on getting an estimate from a contractor, but at this point I am waiting on him to talk to the city and get back with me. (I need to prepare for water filtration system etc, if connecting to the city is too expensive). The city did say that the line needs stakes under the road to hold up the line, and if we have to do sewer, it will need a lift pump.

Thanks!

 

[Dj2]

You will have to get estimates from plumbers near you.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jeff H Young]

528 foot a long run. they usually require septic tank backfilled as well . the 2200 to the city might be one of the minor costs

 

[Reach4]

I was looking at https://www.daytonohio.gov/366/Water-Sewer-Service-Rates

What does "Next 30,000 CF/1,000" mean? There are 7.48 gallons per cubic ft, but that did not seem to help. One thousandth of a cubic ft is less that two tablespoons. 30000 cubic ft divided by 1000 is 30 cubic ft. But why not just say 30 cubic ft, if that is the meaning? And that would still be some really expensive water.

On the street, there will be fire hydrants on the side of the street closer to the water main. Typically the sewer is closer to the other side. Either or both can be under the pavement. My WAG, with no taint of scientific or experience, is $5000 for the water, and $25000 for sewer. I am probably way off, but that is my entry into the pool.

 

[Valveman]

You should figure a water treatment system and stay in control of your own water system. You are counting on government officials to deliver you safe water and look how that turned out in Flint, New York, and several other places. You can pump your own water for pennies on the dollar compared to buying shitty water. Lol! Plus you would also still be incontrol of pressure and can have much stronger pressure than a city can supply. A good pump system can last 30-40 years and save you a ton of money in the short term and long term.

 

[Michael Young]

Hello-

We just purchased a new construction 3000 sq. ft. 4 bedroom, 4 bath home with a well and septic. The well has had some issues with high coliform and in the past tested positive for E.coli. It's been flushed a few times and is now negative, but because it shows other high levels, nitrates and copper, we are looking into tapping into City water. I called the city and they said we would be able to connect, but we would have to pay all of the costs. They also said that since water and sewer are both available, they may require that we do both. The tap in fee alone, is $2200. Does anyone know the approximate cost for the contracting work, materials etc.
The water and sewer lines are 528 ft away. I am working on getting an estimate from a contractor, but at this point I am waiting on him to talk to the city and get back with me. (I need to prepare for water filtration system etc, if connecting to the city is too expensive). The city did say that the line needs stakes under the road to hold up the line, and if we have to do sewer, it will need a lift pump.

Thanks!

check your municipality. In my area, we have to get the taps done by a utility contractor, not a plumber.

 

[Jeff H Young]

a whole differant set of credentials to go out into street for water and sewer.
Everywhere is differant rules they might just require you pay for sewer hook up but not require you to actualy connect, its very common for homes to have the fees paid yet still be on septic.
Love to help but unless I was from Dayton and worked with the city or whoever , I got just as many questions as you do.

 

[Tracey J Brown]

You should figure a water treatment system and stay in control of your own water system. You are counting on government officials to deliver you safe water and look how that turned out in Flint, New York, and several other places. You can pump your own water for pennies on the dollar compared to buying shitty water. Lol! Plus you would also still be incontrol of pressure and can have much stronger pressure than a city can supply. A good pump system can last 30-40 years and save you a ton of money in the short term and long term.

We have considered that, but because the well is older AND testing high for nitrates and copper, it is possible we will need a new well. We are definitely exploring all avenues, and just wanted to get an idea of cost since we have not heard back from the contractor who would be in charge of the process. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Tracey J Brown]

528 foot a long run. they usually require septic tank backfilled as well . the 2200 to the city might be one of the minor costs

Yes, we have not gotten the estimate yet, but I am thinking this will be pretty expensive. Thanks!

 

[Tracey J Brown]

You will have to get estimates from plumbers near you.

We are in that process, but because it takes awhile for the excavator to talk with the city for details, I was hoping to get an idea of cost to see if this is even something we can consider. Thanks!

 

[Tracey J Brown]

check your municipality. In my area, we have to get the taps done by a utility contractor, not a plumber.

The city uses a couple of excavation companies. I have talked to him and he is in the process of doing an estimate. We were just hoping to get an idea of costs while we wait to hear back. It may take awhile, and we are going to be moving into the house. Thanks!

 

[Tracey J Brown]

a whole differant set of credentials to go out into street for water and sewer.
Everywhere is differant rules they might just require you pay for sewer hook up but not require you to actualy connect, its very common for homes to have the fees paid yet still be on septic.
Love to help but unless I was from Dayton and worked with the city or whoever , I got just as many questions as you do.

Thanks. I was just hoping someone would have an idea while we wait on the estimate. It could take awhile since excavator has to work with the city for all the rules and regulations., and we will be moving into the new house.

 

[Tracey J Brown]

a whole differant set of credentials to go out into street for water and sewer.
Everywhere is differant rules they might just require you pay for sewer hook up but not require you to actualy connect, its very common for homes to have the fees paid yet still be on septic.
Love to help but unless I was from Dayton and worked with the city or whoever , I got just as many questions as you do.

Our city uses a couple of excavation companies. We are still awaiting the estimate and I was just hoping to get an idea of cost since we are about to move into the new house. We have a new septic, so I am hoping they would allow us to connect to water only, but it's not likely. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Reach4]

It's been flushed a few times and is now negative, but because it shows other high levels, nitrates and copper, we are looking into tapping into City water.

How bad is your nitrates number?
http://www.wqa.org/Portals/0/Technical/Technical Fact Sheets/2014_NitrateNitrite.pdf

Copper would usually be from corrosive (usually lower pH) water through copper pipe. What is your pH and corrosivity number?

Do other wells in the area have those problems? If your coliform problem were to return, you would need to suspect the well grouting was not right. I would expect that a well in the middle of Ohio would be fully cased. Have you learned anything about why your aquifer would have nitrates?

Anyway, a good reverse osmosis unit would be a good idea for those to produce drinking water. Run RO water through plastic, not copper.

 

[Tracey J Brown]

How bad is your nitrates number?
http://www.wqa.org/Portals/0/Technical/Technical Fact Sheets/2014_NitrateNitrite.pdf

Copper would usually be from corrosive (usually lower pH) water through copper pipe. What is your pH and corrosivity number?

Do other wells in the area have those problems? If your coliform problem were to return, you would need to suspect the well grouting was not right. I would expect that a well in the middle of Ohio would be fully cased. Have you learned anything about why your aquifer would have nitrates?

Anyway, a good reverse osmosis unit would be a good idea for those to produce drinking water. Run RO water through plastic, not copper.

Our Nitrate/Nitrite was 6.15. Copper was 82.3, PH 7.308. This is an old well, over 60 years. An alteration was made last year when the new home was built. Last year is tested positive for ecoli 3 times, and high coliform, still positive after 3 super flushes. We just retested 2 weeks ago, and negative for ecoli, total coliform was 5.2. There some properties in the area that have had issues with high total coliform.
As far as the high nitrates, everything I've read says run off from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks and erosion. The well is also very close to the neighbors and contractors have said the well is not in a good location. These are the reasons I would like to try to tap into city water. We have looked into filtration systems, which would take care of the bacteria, but as you mentioned, a reverse osmosis system would be needed for the nitrates. It just seems like alot to deal with.

 

[Reach4]

Our Nitrate/Nitrite was 6.15.

MCL for nitrate is 10, vs 1 for nitrite.
If you suspect surface contamination, I don't know if re-grouting is practical.

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my sanitizing write-up.

 

[Valveman]

The average cost of city water is $50-$100 per month. If you use any water to speak of it can easily go into the hundreds of dollars a month. You can pay a lot to drill a new well, install a pump system, and even do a lot of water treatment for that kind of money. In the long run a water well is usually much less expensive way to get water. Plus, this way you are in control of the water quantity, quality, and pressure. I do not want any government agency to be able to shut my water off. Could be I just don't vote the way they want and they would shut the water off. Sounds crazy but could happen the way things are going.

 

[Jeff H Young]

The average cost of city water is $50-$100 per month. If you use any water to speak of it can easily go into the hundreds of dollars a month. You can pay a lot to drill a new well, install a pump system, and even do a lot of water treatment for that kind of money. In the long run a water well is usually much less expensive way to get water. Plus, this way you are in control of the water quantity, quality, and pressure. I do not want any government agency to be able to shut my water off. Could be I just don't vote the way they want and they would shut the water off. Sounds crazy but could happen the way things are going.

Are those contaminates easy issues to deal with? I understand pumps and that are cheap, something like contaminates fixable for little costs?