water rights?

[option30]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania

My small rural community (12 households) is in the process of receiving public water, as opposed to the current water wells. I understand that some (but not all) of my neighbors are in need of this, and I do not begrudge them their rights, but I do not want this water piped into our home. I am (reluctantly) willing to pay the tap-in fee of $500, because the possibility always exists that our well could go bad at some future date. Currently, however, the well that we have is working well; it is not any kind of threat or risk to us or anyone else, and the water that we get from it is actually well below the "acceptable" levels of bacteria in public drinking water. What I am wondering is, am I legally obligated to cap my well and accept this ...umm... progress?

[FarmerJ]

CURIOUS ???? what about city/public sewer or is this public water only with out city sewer and all remain on private on site septic systems ?carefully review your city /county ords that spell out when or under what conditions your well must be taken out of service. What you want to look for is langauge in the ordinance that may allow use of the current well until one of many things happen like water well becomes contaminated or if it was a flat out mandate that all homes connect to the new public water line. Your city/county govt center should have this information available for you. It is really hard to say how this will go for you since many municipalitys have done it different. Like when I was growing up the burb I lived finally had city water and sewer on our road and the city had written a ord requiring connection to both city water and sewer if either the well failed drinking standards or had a plugged sand point , or if the septic system failed. About a year or so after the ord was passed our sandpoint began to fail so we had no choice to hook up. SO your having to hook up really depends on exactly what your city/county ords say about it. Also in some areas homeowners are permitted to retain the private well for lawn /garden use etc even when they are hooked up to city water so that too is a possibility to explore.