We’re considering build our own place and one of the most attractive plots to us will have a private water supply from a borehole.

The landowner is doing this “because it’s quicker and easier to install than working with the water company.”

My question is: would I be better off forcing him to install mains or asking for a lower price for the land and we’ll arrange mains ourselves?

My concerns are treating the water, guaranteeing the supply, pressure and how others view it when we come to sell the place.

Any thoughts, experience or advice very welcome!

Our friends were put off buying a house recently that wasn’t mains fed. She didn’t like the added costs to filter/treat water and the cost implications should it dry up/collapse etc.

Do you know the costs involved? I assume the costs will be passed onto you so Shirley you should have a say.

Ask him for a copy of his risk assessment and whether he has registered the supply with the water company

Google Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009

Also if he is supplying a largish development then he could be deemed to be in breach of the Water Industry Act as he isn’t a water undertaker

Ask yourself whether pesticides, crypto, landfill contaminants or other contamination can get into your water

Its not uncommon.
A friend and neighbour lives with a borehole, and another friend is planning on sinking one to supply a mobile home rather than try and connect to the mains supply which would be relatively expensive and awkward.

You can find out the borehole details if it has been registered, here:

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/data/boreholescans/home.html

such as diameter, casing, depth and depth of water below datum.

Also if you own the plot and plan to build on it you can requisition a water main and connect to it. Could be expensive but 12 years of charges offset your contribution to the capital cost

The water company will have statutory rights to lay their pipe

A lot of farmers use private (groundwater or spring) supplies and a septic tank for their wastewater to avoid high sewerage charges (when a farmer uses a lot of water but it drains over land, the water companies will still charge sewerage based on water usage). So in some areas of the country it is very common. Good advice above. If you need an interpretation of borehole or geological data, then ask away.

Issues to consider:

1. Can be slow to refill the ‘reservoir’ so you might need to be a bit more circumspect in your usage than you are used too (no bad thing really).

2. Nutters filling the bore hole / top tank with creosote for no good reason. Happened at least twice to Mrs B’s parents in the 24 years we’ve been together. Rural communities, got to love em 🙂

I think I’d go for money off and see how it went with the borehole myself, but tinkering with the pump might get old quick in winter!

Wouldn’t bother me at all. Water wells are common in rural areas. Your mains water will come from a well anyway probably. Nice simple pressure tank will provide a good reliable supply. Many people UV it to get rid of bugs and don’t bother with added chemicals. I’ve worked with people who have water wells with no filtration or sterilising Whatsoever. Just get coloured water on rainiest of days for a few hours.

They put all sorts of addative rubbish in the mains water.

We live on a bore hole supply here in rural Eire,pressure tank ensures constant pressure and no water fee’s for us ,n private septic tank too.

Very common practice here.

Had tests done and water totally pure in comparison to mains, n water at work in Waterford is terrible ,limescale n all sorts.