Can Home be Sold if it’s on Ditch Water?

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My father lives in Applegate. His house is on ditch water. He had to abandon the original well because it was contaminated with mercury. He tried having another well drilled but came up with dry holes.

Dad hasn’t had any problems with using the ditch water because he has a good treatment system. He is now thinking about selling and wants to know what issues he may be facing.

Helpful Son

Dear helpful,

I have had other homeowners ask about the impacts of buying or selling a home that is served by what is commonly known as ditch water.

Many Placer County residents get their drinking water from canals. The raw water is pumped from a near-by canal and piped through a filtering and chlorination system. Some of the newer state-of-the-art systems utilize a special UV light for killing bacteria. The systems are owned and privately maintained by the homeowner.

Private filtration systems were once considered common- place in spotty well areas and where treated water was not available. At one time private water filtration systems were acceptable to both the Environmental Health Department and mortgage lenders. It wasn’t until 1983 that the County stopped issuing building permits for homes that required private water filtration systems.

Since the systems don’t meet current water treatment technology standards and there’s no monitoring for continuous water quality, the Environmental Health Department now regards private filtration systems as sub-standard and inadequate.

I spoke to an environmental health technician who told me that the Department of Environmental Health will not issue a building permit for a remodel or expansion of a dwelling that relies on a private water filtration system. The property must be served by well or publicly treated water.

The technician suggested that a homeowner with an existing private water filtration system, make every effort to drill a well or connect to the nearest public water system. If insufficient setbacks are a limiting factor, he suggested that the homeowner apply for a $150.00 variance. He said it is possible that site conditions may allow for one. He also explained that recent development might have brought the public water line close enough to feasibly hook up.

If a variance is not an option, an easement from a neighboring property owner could be explored. If that’s not an option, sharing a neighbor’s existing well is a possibility worth considering especially in these economic times. However he pointed out that sharing another persons well should be a last resort.

I made calls to several lenders in an effort to get information about financing a home on a private filtration system. One lender that I talked to explained to me that they would need at least two comparable sales of homes on private filtration systems. The sales had to be within the last nine months.

I spoke with Pat Johnson at US Bank. She said that her bank would consider lending on the property if the borrower was a good US Bank customer. The bank would portfolio the loan (keep the loan in house).

Based on this information I would suggest that you call your lender, credit union or a community bank and ask them what they are willing to do for you. Financing is available but it won’t be easy.

In regards to a reverse mortgage the same lending guidelines will apply.

If you want to sell, your future buyer will need to acquire a loan. Your agent should provide the financing information in advance so that the buyer is not taken by surprise!

As you can see, the financing will be tricky but doable, especially for the persistent. Good luck. Let me know how it turns out!