CarrboroWeb- Carrboro and Chapel Hill, North Carolina- Layman's Guide to Real Estate- Septic Systems and Wells

The The Layman's Guide to Buying Real Estate in Chapel Hill-
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Well & Septic

Many properties outside of the town have well and septic systems which have pros and cons. I have a well which needs to have the filter changed every month or two because it clogs up with dirt. When we have blackouts, I loose my water. A well pump can cost $750 or more to replace.

On the positive side, my water is free so that's one less bill have to pay and relatively natural although I do run it through a Britta filter if I plan on drinking it. If you are on town water they have some kind of Clorine/chemical mixture which they say is safe, but I know my brother had to add a chemical stabilizer when he used it to fill up his pond before introducing the fish to it. If it will kill fish, I can hardly believe that it's good for humans. Plus you have to pay for it.

In town has sewer systems. Out of town in most areas is a septic system. The septic on my property is on the verge of failing. I spoke with the County Environmental Engineers and they suggest that I have the system condemned and have a new one designed. As I said before I am in a protected water shed and on land in an early that doesn't perk particularly well. The only option I really had was to have an environmental engineer design a surface discharge system. This means that it has to go through a septic tank, a sand filter and finally a clorination system so that the water that is discharged is of drinking quality. The cost for the design is $3500 and the building of the system should run another $10,000 compared to about $4000 for a standard system.

That's a lot of money to pay for septic, but, some of my neighbors won't be as lucky. When their systems fail, they may not be given a permit to rebuild(I have a stream that runs through my back yard so I have a place to discharge) and their property could be condemned. Investigate the septic system of your property and the laws that govern it. It could save(or cost) you a fortune if you don't! If you're in town you pay for your sewer in your monthly OWASA(Orange Water and Sewer) bill.

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