So I found out today that the permit for new water and sewer hookups in Brooktrails costs $24,000. I’m going in to meet with the district office today to discuss options. At this time these hookups are far out of my budget. These are the different routes I can go as far as I can tell:

1. Put a large water tank on a tower and have water delivered.

Pro: Cheaper than city water, easy to implement.

Cons: May be illegal in the township, still expensive.

2. Build a fence and illegally have a well dug.

Pro: Reliable water source.

Con: Illegal.

3. Make a deal with the neighboring property to split their water bill to run a hose to our property.

Pro: Cheapest and easiest.

Con: Depends on the neighbors, probably illegal.

Regardless of the method we go with, we will be reducing our water usage to the bare minimum, using permaculture concepts, greywater, and rainwater catchment.

This was just a brainstorming session, but it bothers me that everything is potentially illegal. We’ll overcome this hurdle somehow but I need more ideas.

UPDATE: After speaking with the district office I discovered that it is mandatory to pay for the water/sewer hookup before ANY work is done on the property. This is a deal breaker for this particular location. Tomorrow morning I’m meeting with the realtor and the district office to get a list of new potential properties. I’ve found a few online in my budget that may work but I want to get a full list and check them all out in person.

Little discouraged, but chin up and soldier on 🙂