Wishing at the Well

The good and the bad of an unexpected wishing well.

Recently our little neighborhood was subjected to a terrible injustice! The State of Wyoming made us go onto city water!

While this may seem melodramatic, the situation lends itself to dramatics. We have been on a community well since the subdivision was instituted. This well supplied a steady supply of organic water with minimal additives at a low cost to its users. We never paid more than $50.00 per month for water and sewer.

The State did a water test about six months ago and the arsenic levels were too high in the well. Installation of an arsenic removal would have been too expensive for our HOA to absorb. Thus, the eventual installation of the city water extension.

Now, we pay $65.00 per month for water, plus usage fees over 2000 gallons per month. We must continue to pay the HOA for the sewer, which is $25.00 per month. For those in the area that have stock and huge yards, this has become quite a burden.

Enter the Wishing Well

To combat the costs, we applied for and got a permit to dig a groundwater well. We spent $20 for the permit. We rented a backhoe, which cost $65.00. We dug a 13' well and installed a metal 18" pipe ($270.00) and put gravel around the bottom. ($25.00) We made a deal with our neighbor. If he would build a wishing well to put over the pipe, he could use all the water he wants. We bought rough lumber from the sawmill and he made the beautiful wishing well above. (The wood was $70.00)

If you add all those cost up............we spent $450.00. Okay, it will take us awhile for the wishing well to pay for itself. It was the principle of the thing, okay?

There have been many benefits of this whole project. We have plenty of water to take care of landscaping needs. We have safe drinking water that is tested regularly. We have forged a friendship with our great neighbor.

The greatest benefit has been that many other neighbors have stopped by our house to inquire about the Wishing Well process and to see how we accomplished it. These have been neighbors that we have not has previous friendships with. It has opened up the door to friendship and that is always a good thing.

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Written By Sherone Taylor