Looking for some information on having your water shut off from a private well

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Mrs Silver Fox 60

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Dec 21, 2008
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Some history: We have owned property here for four years. We have had our water supplied from a private well as have fifteen other houses in two communities. The property has recently be sold (April) and purchased by some very unreasonable people. They are demanding $1500 RD per month, per house to continue the supply of water. We received an email from them at 10 am on Dec 31 demanding we pay this amount each month. At noon, they shut the water off so we basically got two hours notice. Thank the good Lord that we have a full swimming pool and Mr Silver Fox was able to feed water back into the house from the swimming pool pump. We are probably going to have to dig a well to supply our community with water.

The question: What I want to know is, can they legally cut off our water supply without any notice. From some of the information we have received in the past was they can't do it particularly as there has been a four year period of uninterrupted water supply which we paid each and every month. We may have to visit the Fiscal and see if there is anything they can do.

I know they haven't been making payments to Coraapplata and our inquiries to Coraapplata as a group have told us that 1/2 of what they collect must be submitted to them. We could possibly make their lives quite uncomfortable...I am not a vengeful person but this is making me want to be!

Only reasonable replies please....I'm not in the mood for BS responses....I'm rather cranky...what a crappy way to start the new year.
 
malko

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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I dont know, sorry. Happy new year.
But 1500RD a month does not seem too excessive, if it is a ininterrupted water supply. Especially if u have a swimming pool, which does use up quite a bit of water.
I have 2 pipes from the road, 500 RD a month, but only like 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night , do u actually have water. I would happily pay more for full time water ( and more pressure ).
 
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Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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I would have thought that if they well is on their land they have the right to cut you off. I assume they are paying the electricity for the pump which pumps the water to you? Your options would appear to be dig a well for yourself - I have had one before and it was perfect as never ran dry. Other options are to build a cisterna and have water piped in by Coraaplata - if they do that. I have a cisterna and we get water once every two weeks which just about lasts, or build a cisterna and have water delivered. Here it costs RD$500 a truck load and that lasts a week.
Good luck

matilda
 
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Casino127

Member
Jan 13, 2012
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The best is to control your own water. Get a well. They are cheap to drill. Get a 2hp pump and share the electric bill with other
fox. Good luck.
 
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Casino127

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Jan 13, 2012
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I must be Lucky, i am paying 1.200 pesos a year (12 X 100p) to Coraaplata for city water who goes twice a week in the citern. I am close to the airport. In my other house in the country side in the Duarte Province i have a well. It is 27 feet deep by 5 wide. I paid 20.000 pesos to get it done by shovel and the ground was clay (26 feet). Thanks i have water all the time.
 
M

Mrs Silver Fox 60

Member
Dec 21, 2008
218
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M

Mrs Silver Fox 60

Member
Dec 21, 2008
218
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18
We are thinking that's what we are going to do. Unfortunately, connecting direct to Coraapplata isn't an option as they do not have water service in the area we live in. Almost all the communities are dependent on well water.

Casino127 said:
The best is to control your own water. Get a well. They are cheap to drill. Get a 2hp pump and share the electric bill with other
fox. Good luck.
Click to expand...
 
malko

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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Oops after checking receipts, I actually pay 200 pesos a month for 2 main pipes ( 100 pesos cada uno ), and not 500 pesos as cited before.
So I suppose it is a bit expensive to ask for 1500.
 
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Mrs Silver Fox 60

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Dec 21, 2008
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Yes, it is insane to charge that much per month. It's more than double what we were paying before! The guy is completely unreasonable and he has made real enemies with the 15 houses that were being supplied. Are we going to throw him a "welcome to the neighbourhood party"? I think not. I find it amazing how this individual and his wife have completely alienated themselves from two communities in five months...there are a whole host of other issues they have created but the water was the most serious issue. I won't go into the constant noise, barking dogs, cutting down privacy fences and so much more.
 
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Mrs Silver Fox 60

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Dec 21, 2008
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That would be fine but the water table is too low here. The wells being drilled in the area are between 240 - 260 feet deep so a hand dug well isn't an option.
JDJones said:
My suggestion is to drill a well.

I had one dug on my property years ago, by hand by three very short guys who then laid blocks all the way back up to form the well, after which I dropped a submersible pump. End of water problems.
Click to expand...
 
malko

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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Mmmm great new neighbour.
Perhaps if all the 15 houses stopped getting their water from him, it could force him to negociate...

A well is a good idea if u have luz most of the time ( which I dont ). I dont know if u can run a pump on an inversor.
When I first got here we used a underground cistern with water pump, but when there is no luz, no water. I put up a tinacoa on a tower kind of structure, when aqua de la calle comes it fills up ( no luz needed ), and then gives us enough pressure for showers and stuff through out the day. We now only use water pump for " emergency " or visitors ( who are not used to low water pressure ).
 
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Olly

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Mar 12, 2007
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Mrs FS Fox,
You still didn't answer the question - what were you paying before?

Contact Simon - he knows all about La Mulata III and the water issues. (DR1 Handle Simon and Nicky)

Olly and the Team
 
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Olly

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Mar 12, 2007
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Mrs FS Fox, sorry I missed your post "that you were paying less than half of that" - so you are paying around 600 RD$ to 750 RD$ ?

Thats not bad for a house with a pool!

Olly and the Team
 
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Mrs Silver Fox 60

Member
Dec 21, 2008
218
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Negotiations were tried but he wanted $1500 RD per house x 15 houses. He wanted everyone to pay his living expenses which is unreasonable - he likes to run his a/c around the clock so most likely thought he could sell the water to pay his Edenorte bill.

So, he got mad, wouldn't negotiate and simply turned the water off. So, everyone in the two communities now has to solve their water problems which isn't the end of the world, just unexpected expense and inconvenience. Now he will have to pay his way like everyone else. He's such a gem............

malko said:
Mmmm great new neighbour.
Perhaps if all the 15 houses stopped getting their water from him, it could force him to negociate...

A well is a good idea if u have luz most of the time ( which I dont ). I dont know if u can run a pump on an inversor.
When I first got here we used a underground cistern with water pump, but when there is no luz, no water. I put up a tinacoa on a tower kind of structure, when aqua de la calle comes it fills up ( no luz needed ), and then gives us enough pressure for showers and stuff through out the day. We now only use water pump for " emergency " or visitors ( who are not used to low water pressure ).
Click to expand...
 
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Mrs Silver Fox 60

Member
Dec 21, 2008
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I wasn't complaining about what we were were paying before.....

Olly said:
Mrs FS Fox, sorry I missed your post "that you were paying less than half of that" - so you are paying around 600 RD$ to 750 RD$ ?

Thats not bad for a house with a pool!

Olly and the Team
Click to expand...
 
M

Mrs Silver Fox 60

Member
Dec 21, 2008
218
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That's nice but I don't live in La Mulata 3.....

And although I know Simon very well, it does help answer the original question.....


Olly said:
Mrs FS Fox,
You still didn't answer the question - what were you paying before?

Contact Simon - he knows all about La Mulata III and the water issues. (DR1 Handle Simon and Nicky)

Olly and the Team
Click to expand...
 
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dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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0
how good is your relationship with other people in the community? i would suggest that you dig up your own well and sell the water yourself. for much less than he offers. that should be a nice pay back. i am sorry you are going through the issues like that. theoretically all water in DR, even in a well on someone's property, belong to the government, coraaplata, in this case.

here in costambar we pay 477 pesos a month and we have a good supply, few times a week, our cistern is always full. so to charge 500-600 pesos is reasonable to me but 1500 is downright robbery.

and btw, water pump (for the cistern, not sure about the well) can work with inversor. we don't have a tinaco here, only a cistern and we manage well.
 
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Olly

Bronze
Mar 12, 2007
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Mrs S Fox ,
Yes I know you dont live in LM III but down opposite the International School but Simon may well know the legal situation as they have gone through this situation of not having water for almost ten months from a private well.

Olly and the Team
 
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