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Homeownership comes with lots of strings attached, and one of the most important decisions that you have to make concerns your source of water. Usually, people get either city water or well water in their homes. Individuals that are used to using city water have different notions concerning well water and vice versa.
The fact is, both city and well water are excellent options for your home. However, one outweighs the other, and that’s what we are here to clarify. In our opinion, well water is the best option for your home. Why? How about you read on further to find out why we prefer well water over city water.
Contents
Well water
Well water comes directly from the ground, and as the surface water trickles down into the underground reservoirs, it goes through a filtering process. You can access the underground water when a well is drilled in your property, and you can use the water for bathing, drinking, and washing. To use the well water in your household, you have to install a pump so that it can bring up the water. Also, you can connect your well water system to a septic tank or the municipality’s sewer system.
Advantages of using well water
Looking at individuals who rely on well water for their day to day use, we observed plenty of advantages that such water brings them. Let us have a look at several.
- Well water is cost-efficient – when we compared well water to city water, we noted that well water is more cost-efficient. City water is monitored and treated by the government, and that means that you have to incur monthly bills, which are sometimes quite high. However, with well water, you don’t have to pay any usage fees. What’s more, you can install an efficient system to treat you’re well water.
- It is great for your health – another benefit of well water is that it is good for your health. How come? Well, the water comes from a natural source form the earth, which means that it will have a better and richer taste compared to city water. Additionally, well water contains plenty of essential minerals, which makes it a healthy option. And unlike city water, it is not treated using harsh chemicals.
- You have to keep in mind that city water is treated using fluoride and chlorine because it comes from the lakes and rivers, which contain plenty of contaminants. The addition of these chemicals may harm your health, plus they are not easy to filter out.
- Well water is safe from contamination during a natural disaster – when natural disasters such as floods strike your area, they will affect the city’s capability to supply healthy water to households. With well water, however, the probability of the water getting affected is very low, especially with artesian wells. Besides, city water will most likely get contaminated during such disasters, while you can continue taking your well water without worry.
Disadvantages of using well water
As much as well water has significant advantages, it also has several downsides. Here are some of the disadvantages that we found.
- It depends on electricity – a major downside with well water is that you cannot access it without electricity. Water has to get pumped into your house, and in case of a power outage, then it means you’ll have no water. You may have to look for an alternative source of power, and that’ll cost you.
- The quantity and quality of your water depend on you – a well is a private property, meaning that you’re responsible for the maintenance and repair of your well. If the water runs out, that’s on you. Furthermore, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your well water is safe to drink.
- The water could get contaminated – there’s also a likelihood for your water to get contaminated by chemicals, sewage, and dead animals among other pollutants. Such contaminants could greatly affect the quality of your water.
City water
City water is distributed to your home by the government. That implies that the city will collect the water from rivers or lakes, pass it through a water purification process, and then supply it to your home through your plumbing system.
Advantages of using city water
- City water is available in a majority of the places – fortunately, city water is available in most places, unless you reside in a very rural region. That means that it’s easy to access the clean and treated water.
- The quantity and quality of the water is the city’s responsibility – interestingly, you don’t have to worry about the amount of water that comes into your household or its quality. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that you access clean and adequate amounts of water.
- You have no maintenance costs – the fact that the city caters to the treatment and distribution of water means that you have no maintenance cost if you use city water.
Disadvantages of using city water
Like well, water, city water also has its downsides, and here are some of the major ones.
- It is expensive – city water is more expensive than well water. Over the years, cities continue to increase the monthly water bill, considering how hard it has become to treat the water. As a result, you may end up paying very high bills, especially is your water usage is high.
- It is not as fresh as well water – city water is got from run-offs, lakes, and rivers, while well water comes from the underground. That means that city water comes into contact with plenty of contaminants, which greatly affect its quality. Besides, the city may use harsh chemicals to treat it, affecting the quality.
- It can get contaminated on a large scale – sadly, when a disaster occurs, the city water gets contaminated on a large scale, and it may take quite long to treat. That means that the water supply will have to be cut off, affecting a lot of people.
- You have no control over the water supply – city water is managed by the city, and that means that somebody else can turn off your water at any time. Moreover, if you fail to make payments on time, your water will get turned off, and sometimes, this happens without warning.
Final word
If you’ve been wondering about the best option between city water and well water, we hope that we have clarified things for you. Overall, well water has more advantages compared to city water. That means that well water is the best option for you. You can use it for washing, bathing, and drinking.
