12/28   Probably a longshot but I'll ask anyway.  Anybody have experience
        digging for groundwater?  And also with septic tanks?  I'm considering
        building in an area without running water or sewage lines.  I'm
        wondering how much it costs, any gotchas, etc.  Thanks.
        \_ Had this when I lived on the east coast.  It sucked.  Sometimes
           we'd run out of water.  Other times the water would freeze down
           to a trickle.  And getting the septic tank cleaned was a good day
           to be somewhere else.
        \_ Big gotchas are how deep you need to drill to get water, what
           type of rock/soil you're digging through, water quality (ie.
           what you need to do to make it potable), water table level
           changes, and a backup pump when you lose electricity. The septic
           tank can be a bother, but as long as you follow city/state
           building regs (or even expand on them) you should be okay. You
           can get away with getting it cleaned fairly infrequently. Plus
           remember that the toilet is no longer your trash can....
        \_ Thanks.  How about cisterns?  Did either of you had cisterns
           installed?  I'm thinking of putting in these tanks to hold water
           for irrigation.  Man this is a lot of trouble.  Maybe I should
           just buy land next to a river or lake or something.