I am currently on city water. As you know if you live in GA, we have water wars every summer and I don't know that the summer drought is going to get any better. If this spring is an indication of rainfall, it doesn't look good.
Due to my schedule with my young kids and all.. sometimes Fridays are a really great day for me to water in new plantings and those days are prohibited.. I'd really like to go to a well system and water when needed and wanted and not when I'm told I can... or can well users even water on Fridays too?? I don't know. We do have irrigation in the front yard and that makes a huge difference in how great the plants look. The ones that I'm planting in the back yard will have to rely on Gods grace for water and the occasional opportunity I might get to water.
Does anyone have a well and use it for their plants/irrigation? If so, how long have you had it?
Also, I am currently on Septic, which means I don't pay for the water return. However, it's only a matter of time before sewer gets run up my street, as the tear-down-rebuild home builders are demanding it. I know that I have the option of stubbing out for sewer when it first comes in, and we probably will, since if you wait the charges triple, but if we have a well and ever need to go to sewer, their will be no charges for the return fees. Those charges may be minimal, but still, if I'm using well water for my irrigation, it wont be as much.
Any thoughts on this?? Thanks.
Susan
Do you use a well for irrigation?
susan: i live on saint simons island and was using county water to keep my landscape going when last year started. as it got drier and drier it was taking me hours a day to water everything and my water bill was going up and up. there was a well on my property but i didn't know if it worked as the pump was defunk. i had the well tested and it turned out to be a deep well that just needed a new pump. i put in a five station irrigation system and have used well water for the landscape every since. i too am on septic so my water bills now struggle to make it beyond $7 a month. i can't imagine what would have happen to all my landscaping work if i had not turned to using well water. all my neighbors also use well water for landscaping. when they put up watering restrictions last year they did not apply to those of us using well water. hope that helps, dooley
Dooley.. The entire issue started as we had to have our sprinkler guy out to make changes in the yard as I have expanded my beds, and we got to talking about sewer hook-up as some in our neighborhood want on.. Whole nother story...
I've got the front yard pretty much landscaped and gardened out, and while it can still stand to be planted some more, I'm moving to working on the back yard. The front is on a four zone system. I showed him what I've done in the back yard and he started talking to me about the potential of irrigation for the back... and he suggested a well even though he doesn't do it.. Thing is, I had just mentioned a well to my husband last month as I am already thinking ahead and see that the future of my garden will be dominated by the continued water wars.
I called our county water department and spoke with the guy responsible for water ban enforcement and he stated the same as you... folks that are on well water are not subject to the same bans. He also told me that the water authorities in GA are projecting this years drought to be worse than last years as we are just in March and their is a 7 inch deficit. He said they are all meeting in two weeks and he expects the water restrictions to be elevated to another level.
I think I'm going to have to tell my husband that I will forgo the new minivan we were going to get this year and take a well instead. It means that much to me to have water on demand for my garden.. My well meaning neighbor told me she thinks it's just more ecological to let the stuff die, but I assure you shes not done in a year to her own garden what I do in a day in my garden. And that's not to add how many complete days after days I've devoted to my garden over the last couple of years.. I just can't let it go to pot... nor can I continue to break the law and water when I'm not supposed to, as I will one day have a next door neighbor that will see me doing it in the back yard and I will be reported.. and don't want to go to jail and all.. :)
A engineer has to come out and survey first and then the well company comes out to drill and install..
I think I may move forward with this.. I figure I'll be here in this house forever and my garden will too.. might as well get the bells and whistles to make it all the better while I can.
........ after I get it, it will probably bring on moonsoon rains! :)
Susan
Hey Susan!! I am not in Ga but I saw your thread! :)
I am in the county and only have well water but the folks in 'town' that water using wells have a little sign in their yards saying "Irrigated with well water" or something to that effect. They can water when they want from what I understand!
I would imagine the well would eventually pay for itself in lower water bills too! City water is rather high around here. I'm glad not to have it!
Nicole
Susan,
This is such a timely thread - thanks. DH and I were just discussing this a few days ago -- having a irrigation well system. I have a feeling that the drought level one would change this year and all my new plantings will suffer.
Wonder what the cost is? I better start putting some money aside.
Liz
Hey Nicole and Liz....
Yes, the upfront costs are high...which is why I'd have to forgo a new car and make due with a well.. unless DH really loves me and gets me both anyway..!! :) just kidding!! Loves does have everything to do with the well though.. Love of my plants.. Well, the engineer that tells where the best place to dig on my property alone costs $750. Then the well company is a minimum of $5000. This is a huge upfront cost..
However, I've done the math and figure out how many years I plan to enjoy my garden, equated with how many years It would suffer without irrigation..as opposed to how much nicer it would be to have water at any time.. Now, the water bills would decrease and it would take a long time to pay for itself, but it would eventually... it would take a long while though... My water bills are $30 in the winter and $60 in the summer.. And if we ever have a total watering ban during the summer while I live here and have the well, that alone would make it worth it in the garden I would be saving.
:)
Susan
Glynis, we have considered rain barrels and they would be a "drop in the bucket" for our needs. My garden is big!! Huge! I live on one acre and I keep making more beds with the free horse manure and mulching with the leaf mould I get and just keep wintersowing seeds, trading, pulling stuff out of the trash, obsessing, propagating, buying bulbs at costco.. and there ya go... lots of plants and lots of beds that need water....
This is what the guy I talked to was talking about.. I think I'll seriously have the talk today..
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/03/29/0330meshwater.html
Watering restrictions could tighten April 18
By STACY SHELTON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/30/07
Home gardeners and green lawn purists should find out April 18 if the latest run of dry weather will mean fewer hours to irrigate.
That's when the state Drought Response Committee meets to decide whether to ramp up restrictions on watering lawns, washing cars and filling pools.
Since June, the state has been in a Level One drought, which means outdoor watering is allowed on assigned days only between midnight and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and midnight. Odd-numbered addresses can water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; even-numbered and unnumbered addresses can water Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The restrictions are statewide, but some communities, including Roswell, are asking residents to follow even stricter schedules.
This message was edited Mar 30, 2007 6:05 AM
What happens when the well runs dry? I've heard of some communities where this has happened and they need to have water trucked in just for basic needs. Hopefully that will never happen but plan for contingencies.
I wonder if the Tennessee River will ever be tapped for Atlanta's needs. The City of Dalton tried to buy a few million gallons from it a few years ago but I think it fell through due to the bureaucratic red tape.
Yet some snails down in Apalachicola Bay, FL. get court orders for billions of gallons to be released from Lake Lanier. Does that make sense?
Droughts come and go but as the population continues to grow, water will become more precious to compete over. Gardens are the lowest priority on the hit list. Cactus anyone?
Saying gardens are the lowest priority on a GARDENING website is like someone on my motorcycle site saying they are impractical and silly. Simply not necessary. :)
When a well runs dry you dig another one. For those of us that is reality - my particular well gets 60 gallons a minute so I will enjoy it many years and possibly forever.
I don't know about Susan's area but with city water here it's more about the water dispersal and not about the water table itself. It's that the city doesn't have enough water to spread amoung all their residents - not that the water table is in a drought situation.
Plants in our gardens generally require less water than grass. I personally plant more drought tolerant plants - especially the farther away from my house they are. That said, I lost my JA's due to too much rain last year so there is certainly no drought in my area currently. The city gets their water restricted regardless though. Glad I don't have to deal with that.
Nicole
Not that it will matter if we decide to go with a well, but I wonder what the return on investment is?? -- especially since the upfront costs are so high? Will an irrigation well add to the value of the home? Whew, $5000 is a lot of money. I guess I will have to wait on finishing out my unfinished basement. :-)
Liz
Liz my mother in law had to get a new well a little over a year ago and it was around the same price that Susan mentioned. Her old well still had water but the water was contaminated. Ick! Course she doesn't have city water so she HAD to have another dug..
My dad has a well and then was annexed. So now he has city water and a well but he doesn't use it!!! Course he's not a gardener! LOL!
Nicole
I am in Oregon and had no idea that the whole state of Georgia was on restrictive water. Of course we get lots of water here, but in summer its very dry. I have 2.5 acres and its all planted or grass. My well is only 35 feet deep, I got very lucky with the well. But I do water continually during the summer and my electric bill doubles from the pump running. I am actually thinking of putting another well in the back of the property as sometimes my water pressure seems to drop when I have a couple sprinklers going at once all day. Here we figure the standard cost of well with pump and all to be around $7,500. But that is the cost for here, I think that is very cheap what you pay for a well. If I could get one at your price, for sure I would.
And you cannot let your garden go. I lived in CA when they had the drought and restriced water to a certain amount per house. Having teenagers with all the showers and laundry I had to let my whole front yard die. I kept the back yard for a couple reasons. People could not see it, it was not politically correct to have green showing and my best things were in the back. That was over 20 years ago and I still remember how hard it was to let the plants die. I even kept buckets in the shower and used that water to carry out to the plants.
When you figure how much you enjoy gardening and how good it is for you mentally and health wise, I think your decision to get the well instead of the van is good. Plus the well will make your property more valuable. Here in Oregon we have so many restrictions and its getting more each year. Can you imagine if you did not get the well and they decided they would not allow wells? That would hurt.
I wasn't saying gardens are lowest priority for people or gardeners. I was saying that is the first thing water restrictions hit - gardens and lawns are lowest priority for the water authorities and the first thing that gets cut. When we had total bans in the past that was for outdoor watering. Car washes, golf courses, nurseries, water parks, and other water consuming businesses were exempt. It didn't seem fair but that's life.
I knew a guy who had a six acre pond that was used for irrigation but even it got so low that the pumps wouldn't work. I guess he could've run more electrical wire and put the pumps out further but at what point do you quit. One of my friends' father had ponds on his small farm and they completely dried up killing hundreds of fish that he had stocked a few years earlier. This was in NC but I'm not sure what part of the state he lived in. This was over 20 years ago but history repeats itself.
Susan, there are the most GIGANTIC rain barrels I have ever seen at the Oakhurst gardens! 2 story! Incredible. There are 4 of them. We are considering putting in a cistern in a few years. The renovator we have working here right now is going to try and learn how to install them.
I may order wall cisterns or stacked aluminum cisterns from Australia before then, for a narrow side yard. I like the look of them (sort of semi-industrial, but also ultra modern). Would not suit everyone, but I need to capture water to a) keep it out of the newly dug out basement and crawl space, and b) for the garden of course. We also have almost an acre. I understand worrying about saving water!
GGG
I live in Oregon, and have been irrigating with one of my wells for 15 years. The only drawback I find is that it is better to MIST your plants with rain water. If you mist with well water you get a white residue that is a mineral deposit on the leaves. Fortunately, we get quite enough rain water, too.
Oh, yes. Thats a whole other issue, the quality and minerals in your water. Varys according to area, of course. I do not get the residue on my plants, however I have a lot of iron in my water. Does not seem to hurt the plants, but if in the pipes long is an ugly orange color. I do think that untreated water is best for plants, if your city water is treated, you plants may not like it. I know I had problems with some things in Ca from the treated water. I have never had my water tested for my plants, I know many people do, but I am not looking for touble.....lol.
Susan , You have mail!
susan: ask around about well and irrigation costs. my neighbor who had and a well dug pump put in for under $2,000. my new pump and its installation on my old well cost $650. putting in an entire irrigation system with five zones and many outlets to cover over 10,000 square feet cost $1440. realtors tell me it is worth money to have an irrigated landscape when you go to sell.
yes, wells can run dry. as my is at leas 150 feet i am hoping it won't but georgia's drought conditions are a reminder for all of us to conserve water and maybe learn to do some serious rain dancing. dooley
Susan - we're on a well up here in Paulding Country. You are not bound by any restrictions if you have your own well.
jo
Here in Bluffton it's about $2500 for a well with a pump. I live on a 13 or so acre lagoon so I just pump from that. Well worth it, our water/sewer bill is 60-70 a month and with the sprinklers running it was 150-170 a month.
i know i would love a well, long term. but for now im going to go buy 1500 gallon tank dig a pit behind my gh the tank plus shipping is 600$ i ve got a 3hp pool pump that will irragate through soaker hoses in the beds, the lawn however is a bit more tricky to calculate but i thought of using a bypass system to run sprinklers in zones i estimte i can keep eden going on 1 hr a day run time based on ruff estimates, i can water through the BAN SEASON okay but i wont know about the lawn untill the hole system is in. i will be collecting rain water from my gutters i estmate that 1" of rain will fill a 1500 gallon in tank in one days rain thats a heavy rain mind you but im sure the estmates are sound with some plumbing scrounging and a bit of luck i should come in under a1000$ for everything although i have to dig a hole 8ft wide and 5 ft deep! ive been collecting water from one gutter 30 ft long into a 95gal can for a while now, a mild rain will fill it in two hrs or less!
Great Thread!
If we have a good year at market, I'm definitely going to look at putting in a well. I had it estimated and I'd probably be looking at $7-8,000 with the bulk of that going to the drilling.
My neighbors on either side of me use well water and they have an excellent supply. We haven't put in irrigation yet and want to only when we can afford to cover both the vegetable gardens and our landscaping. And there is no way we are going to use city water for that.
Someone at work told me to look into an agricultural meter. Said water could be had at a reduced rate. Anyone familiar with it?
BB
Hey yall. I'm back from some spring break fun with the family.... Tired, but back and ready to proceed with my well plans and garden. Thanks to all for your input. It is very appreciated and valued.
Okay... I really do need some guidance from anyone who had installed a well in GA.. Who did you use? The company my sprinkler guy told me about has been around since the hills and knows what they are doing, gave me an over the phone quote of around $8,000 to do the job.... More if they need to drill further down than they expect to. And this is after paying an independent engineer $750 to come out and be sure of finding the water to start with.. I told my husband he said that ours was a "good area" and my husband asked me if he meant for hitting water or for his business? :)
Apparently some of you have had wells drilled without an engineer needing to come out first and you've paid less then half what I'm being told for your entire well and pump installed. I'm wondering if I'm getting the big city exorbitant designer landscape with resident gardener on staff price?.. I want the down on the farm shoveling horsey poo for fun, pulling plants out of the trash and into my garden price.
As far as the question of return on value.. we don't do anything here for the return on value. We do it cause we are really going to love it, enjoy it, and we will see the return in our use of it!! We live in my husbands childhood home and will raise our family here and then stay forever after that.
My in-laws had a cistern on their home in Saint Thomas before they moved back to GA for the grand kids. It was their primary source of water.. We have considered this and of course the best time to do this is during initial construction. We have thought about the underground tank as well, but are just at the well stage right now.
As far as the well running dry... yes, it is a possibility.. However, I am very close to the Chattahoochee river and connecting creeks, so I do think I'm in a good area as far as water table is concerned. Our entire area depends on Lake Lanier for water as do the Florida mussel fishermen and the corp. of engineers is forced to release water downstream to keep an endangered species afloat... our water problems are not due to the water table being low, but two other states having a stake in the water that Lanier holds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Lanier
"Since the 90's the Corps of Engineers, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have all been fighting for use of the water held in Lake Lanier. Law mandates that when a river flows between two or more states, each state has a right to it's equal share of the water. Additionally other laws such as the Endangered Species Act require that water be available for threatened or endangered species that live in or around Chattahoochee River and Apalachicola Bay. Thus the fight between the Corps, Florida, Georgia, and Atlanta for the water held in the manmade Lake Lanier continues to this day."
And about being politically correct.. I refuse to idly stand by and watch my garden die when it is at the very core of who I am, what I believe in and in conjunction to being a wife and mother, what my life and passion revolves around. I firmly believe that the leaders in our region do everything in their power to keep us just short of a full and complete watering ban to appease the masses from wholehearted dissension when building permits are handed out as fast as land can be bought, cleared and the permits can be printed.
And after last years faulty water gauge fiasco, my "water saving morale" went down the toilet...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Lanier
"In June 2006 the USACE revealed that the new lake gauge at the dam, replaced in December 2005, was not properly calibrated, yielding a lake level reading nearly two feet (over half a meter) higher than the actual level. Because of this, nearly twenty-two billion U.S gallons (over eighty-two billion liters) of excess water was released over and above the already planned excess releases to support both the successful spawning of gulf sturgeon in the Apalachicola River and to protect several species of mussels in Apalachicola Bay from excessive saltwater intrusion."
Susan
This message was edited Apr 5, 2007 7:35 AM
Yes Bronx Boy, I worked for a firm that used them for commercial applications.. So I'm not sure about residential.. But if your on sewer hook-up, you get a meter put on your outdoor use so that your not charged the return charges.. is that what you mean??
So.. in the case of using well and being on sewer.. you would never pay for any well water used.
Susan
Susan:
I'd be interested to hear some responses to your question about the well. My research came in at the same projection as yours. I looked at my water bill over the period where I garden and even allowing for the swimming pool, the increased cost didn't justify 8-10K for a well.
I think the cost may have something to do with how developed an area is. It seems to be a little less expensive in the more rural areas.
BB
I'm wondering if it is less expensive if the well company itself is located in a little more rural area ??.... I'd pay them for the drive time and I'm sure those types of companies are willing to do some driving to a job. :)
While this area is very residential developed, I do live on a full acre.
I've only called one local company as of yet and referrals are the way to go. If you have a great well job within two hours of Atlanta, please pass it to me. :) I've done an online search of local well drillers and there are surprisingly many that come up. I really prefer good recommendations. Thanks!
Susan