What to know about the well or spring water supply when purchasing real estate.

Real estate is hot right now and many buyers don’t take the time to slow down and understand the well or spring that supplies water to their property. In this blog we’ll explore the questions you should ask and some observations you can make that will help you as you look at purchasing a rural property with a well or spring.

Water Quantity

One of the primary questions potential buyers should ask is “Is there enough water?” Most wells and springs are NOT an unlimited supply of water, they produce a limited amount of water and you should know how much that is. Does the well produce 20 gallons per minute or 1 gallon per minute? If you have plans to expand the home, garden or agriculture on the property, will the well or spring supply enough water for these upgrades? Look around a glance should tell you if the yard green and the plants well watered. If there are storage tanks, are they full of water? Are there several wells dotted around the property that are dry? If water is trucked in to fill storage tanks, this should be a serious red flag and indicates that there is an inadequate water supply. Properties that truck water or that have multiple dry wells should be avoided as the cost of trucking sufficient water is onerous and the heavy trucks damage the roads and pollute the environment. If you really want to purchase a property that does not have water on it, steep discounts should reflect the lack of water.

It is always advisable to perform a well test to ascertain how much water the well can produce. A well test involves pumping the well over an extended period of time while measuring the water flow/level during this pumping. (Check out our blog on how long a well test should be here.) When the pump is turned off, the water level is measured to see how long and to what level it recovers in the well. While well tests can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, they can help ensure you don’t have a huge headache in the future!

If the well test shows that the well yield is low (less than 5 GPM) and the water has lots of minerals, it may be that the well could improve production by cleaning the mineral deposits out of the well casing. It is also important that a low yield well fill a storage tank to ensure adequate flows to the house/garden.

Water Quality

While visions of pure clean water coming out of a well or bubbling from a spring are wonderful to think about, the reality is that most wells and springs have some minerals or other possible contaminants. Some of these minerals/contaminants can easily be filtered/removed, other contaminates are very difficult and expensive to remove. In our area it is common to have minerals such as iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium in the water. These are relatively easy to remove with various technologies. Sometimes there are sulphur odors, which can also be dealt with. When it comes to arsenic (toxic) or silica (etches glass, makes it hazy), these can be much more difficult and expensive to remove.

As you look at the property, look for hazy glass, red or green stains on fixtures or near faucets. These can give you an idea that the water has some minerals/contaminates that need to be dealt with. Run the water in the sink on hot and smell, any strange odors?

We always recommend that homeowners get the water tested prior to purchase. At OPS we both recommend and stock the National Testing Laboratories Watercheck which gives a rather comprehensive test of potential contaminates in wells/springs. Not only does this lab test the water, but they give one of the most readable reports in the industry that helps you understand where the problem areas are and how serious the problem is. Check out the OPS webpage to learn more about the water filtration techniques and how we help our customers in the Napa Valley with their water treatment needs!

Condition of the water system equipment

Wells and springs have tanks, pumps, pressure switches, pressure tanks, float switches, filters and controllers that all need to work to ensure that an adequate supply of clean water is supplied. Ask for invoiced to discover how old this equipment is. Do things look dilapidated, corroded, leaking? Loud noises? Red error lights? While old or malfunctioning equipment can be problematic, these don’t need to be a deal breaker. Pumps and tanks can be repaired or replaced, but you may want to negociate with the seller if some of this equipment is older than ~10 years or in need or repair/replacement.

The OPS team regularly works with home buyers and sellers to evaluate the water supply and equipment objectively. If we can help you ensure an adequate, clean water supply to your Napa Valley home, please contact us today at (707) 944-2471