Well water vs public water in LI? (Riverhead, Syosset: insurance, new house)

[Glad2BHere]

What parts of LI have well water? What parts have public water?

Does all of Suffolk use well water? What about Nassau?

Does anyone have any info on this? Thanks

[BlueSkyHoliday]

This was probably the most important criteria for us when the possibility of moving to Long Island first came up (the availability of public water rather than houses having to rely on their own private well). We absolutely do not ever want to live in a house that doesn't have public water. So we asked the relo company that we would be working with (if we moved) to find out this very important information for us.

We were told that almost all of Nassau County is served by public water. Exceptions would be some communities on the very far north shore. The majority of Suffolk County towns also have public water if they are west of Riverhead, but again there are some towns along the extreme north shore that don't have it, because of the topography and terrain (soil conditions). We were told that the closer you get to the actual shore (Long Island Sound) the more likely it is that the houses in that area must have their own individual wells.

East of Riverhead supposedly has a greater percentage of 'no public water available' areas. Supposedly this is because a lot of it either used to be or is still farmland, which has always relied on wells. We were told that some of these areas will 'probably' be converted to public water as they become more built-up, but there is no guarantee that it would happen. When we found out the insurance situation in those far northern and eastern areas of Long Island we decided we wouldn't be looking there anyway, so two problems were solved at once that way.

When we started talking in more detail with the relo company we were told that once we decide which areas we want to get 'MLS emails' for, they will put 'public water' as one of the criteria that would weed out any homes that don't have it.

At one time a few years ago we briefly considered moving to Connecticut but after we found out that almost all areas we'd be interested in don't have public water, we dropped the idea immediately.

It would be very helpful if anyone who posts here and DOESN'T have public water, would say what town they are in, or if they know for sure of any towns or parts of towns that don't have it!

[TheImportersWife]

I don't think I've ever met anyone who has well water on Long Island.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by TheImportersWife

I don't think I've ever met anyone who has well water on Long Island.

Don't be so sure of that.
As per SCWA, many people in Suffolk are not hooked up to the public water supply. SCWA said that your neighbor may be hooked up and you may not even be. Even new construction, depending on where, may or may not be. The only way to know is get the survey and tax map and go to SCWA to find out for sure. Or the homeowner SHOULD know that info also.

And let's say your neighbor is hooked up and you are not, you can fill out an application to be hooked up. But if your whole block is not hooked up, it could cost thousands of $ to get a line installed. You would need more than 50% of the residents to sign off on it and PAY for it, and Suffolk would pay for half. But it could cost ALOT and that is even IF they can hook it up based on location.

I was also told that areas with large properties are often using private wells, such as Nissequoge and Head of Harbor. Turns out, they had groundwater contamination. Upon investigation by the EPA, Nissequoge and HOH's private wells were contaminated with dry cleaning solvents (tce) and only THEN did they get hooked up to public water supply due to the EPA and Superfund status of the contaminated wells.

So YES, you may know people in Suffolk who use private wells. Most of Nassau is hooked up for sure, again, other than acre+ zonings on the extreme North Shore.

I went to an open house in Syosset/Laurel Hollow border, one acre property, and they did not have gas even due to the large lots. I do not know about the water supply because I did not know much about that at the time but now I wonder if they had private wells or public hookups.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyHoliday

We were told that almost all of Nassau County is served by public water.

True, mostly b/c properties are smaller and closer together and it makes it easier to be hooked up, just like most of NC has sewers not cesspools like Suffolk does. Also, most of Nassau has gas, not electric stoves.

Originally Posted by BlueSkyHoliday

Exceptions would be some communities on the very far north shore.

That would probably be because these areas are usually very large lots, acres or more zoning, and are too vast to be connected.

Originally Posted by BlueSkyHoliday

The majority of Suffolk County towns also have public water if they are west of Riverhead, but again there are some towns along the extreme north shore that don't have it, because of the topography and terrain (soil conditions). We were told that the closer you get to the actual shore (Long Island Sound) the more likely it is that the houses in that area must have their own individual wells.

Exactly, such as Nissequoge and HOH.

Originally Posted by BlueSkyHoliday

East of Riverhead supposedly has a greater percentage of 'no public water available' areas. Supposedly this is because a lot of it either used to be or is still farmland, which has always relied on wells.

Such as Mattituck, I believe only well water.

Originally Posted by BlueSkyHoliday

When we started talking in more detail with the relo company we were told that once we decide which areas we want to get 'MLS emails' for, they will put 'public water' as one of the criteria that would weed out any homes that don't have it.

Yes, they do have this info on their listings.

Originally Posted by BlueSkyHoliday

It would be very helpful if anyone who posts here and DOESN'T have public water, would say what town they are in, or if they know for sure of any towns or parts of towns that don't have it!

I agree, I would love to know and I bet you some people do not even know if they have well or public.

[nbres]

Older homes in Suffolk County built in the 1950s had well water. Most have been converted to public water, but there are still a few die-hards out there. An older lady in my neighborhood never converted and after she passed-on at about 85 years of age the new owners hooked-up to the public water system. Some people will still use the well water for their grass sprinklers, but will bathe in and drink the public water. The hook-ups are still there, so I guess it makse sense to save on the water bill.

[BlueSkyHoliday]

In our last house we had a neighbor with an older (1940s) home that originally had a private well. When the newer homes were built in that area during the 1960s, public water was brought in and I think everyone was required to hook up (no choice). Most people just had their well capped but these people chose to also keep their well just for lawn and garden irrigation. That neighborhood had sidewalks put in when the new houses were constructed, and it was just incredible how the well water ruined the sidewalk in front of that neighbor's house. It was stained a disgusting shade of dark orange brown everywhere that the sprinklers hit it (which was the entire length). It also stained the foundation and siding of their house and their front walkway. I often wonder if they eventually sold that house and whether the new owners had the sidewalk and walkway replaced because it looked so terrible.

[TheImportersWife]

Originally Posted by Glad2BHere

Don't be so sure of that.

I'm not arguing that homes on LI have well water. All I stated was that I personally never knew of any homeowners on LI with well water.