COST OF WATER
Just some rough notes regarding cost related to having a well and why in this situation having a private well has been financially viable compared to paying for town water.
About 11p, on January 10, 2026, the water pump to my home in the county stopped running.
I was able to have a plumber review of the situation on January 12, 2025 and I am waiting for a proposal to replace the pump. The existing pump was installed about 25 years ago by a previous owner. About 8 years ago the water stopped. They found that the copper wire from the tank to the pump that is about 300 feet below grade had been poorly installed and after vibrating and rubbing for many years had broken and needed to be replaced. No water means that the baths (toilets, showers, sinks), kitchen sink, laundry, and outside hoses are not working.
We have lived in this house for about 17.5 years. If I were living in Hillsborough, North Carlina according to the figures provided by water and sewer department, the cost of a gallon of water supplied by the town of Hillsborough would cost about $2.98 per gallon with the average house using 3,440 gallons per year. That would indicate that the average yearly water bill in Hillsborough NC would be $1,224. That would indicate that in 17.5 years I would have spent $21,420 if my house were within the Hillsborough district.
According to Duke, the electric cost for my pump is averaging about $16 per month
In 17.5 years that would have been 17.5x12x16 $3,360
The cost to replace the electric wiring was about $1,200
The cost to replace the pump estimated $3,000
Total cost of well $7,560
This does not include the original cost previous owner paid to drill well or the replacement costs spent on rebuilding the pumphouse.
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