4 Things to You Should Know Before Buying a Rural Property in Dawson Creek

Nyla LePine, a long-time RE/MAX agent in Dawson Creek, understands life in the country, both the blessings and the challenges, and will help you understand exactly what you are getting into when you choose rural living.

Rural properties have many benefits – privacy, space, and freedom being just a few.  But if you are used to living in an urban center there are other differences you may not be aware of – water systems and wastewater management are two of them. If you are outside of city limits, you will not be hooked up to city resources, so you will have to find your supply of clean water and a way to manage your household wastewater.

There are a couple of options rural property owners around Dawson Creek make use of to supply their homes and livestock with clean water.

Cisterns

A cistern is a large vessel (often a tank) used to hold a reserve of water. Many homes in rural or dry areas have cisterns as a back-up water supply. In some areas, cisterns are used as the primary water source for a household.

Some cisterns are gravity-fed and collect rainwater through an open top. The pull of gravity sucks the water into pipes directed to the home or an irrigation system. The rate of flow can be controlled using valves or increased with the help of a pump.

Often when used for home use, a large cistern is located below ground. Setting up a gravity-fed cistern below ground is challenging, so it is more likely a pump will be used. The cistern will have filters that clean the water before it reaches your taps. To check that the water is safe to drink, it is wise to regularly have the water tested. If solely used for irrigation, it is unnecessary to install filters.

On a small scale, collecting water for your cistern via rain or an on-site well may be sufficient, but in many cases, it is necessary to have water trucked in from a municipal source. This is the most popular option as the water comes from a treatment plant. Contact Nyla today to get connected with a local water hauling company that can help keep your taps flowing with clean, safe water.

Read more about Cisterns in our blog post about Cisterns as Water Sources.

Ponds & Dugouts

Ponds and dugouts are generally made by humans as water reservoirs to trap and store runoff and rainwater. They are an important water source for rural residents, providing water for such things as livestock watering, crop spraying, and household use. Barnyards and gardens are usually serviced by dugout water either by pumping it or by using underground lines to hydrants.

Getting good quality water from ponds and dugouts can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Pond water is often hooked up to residences to service non-potable taps and with a high-quality filtration system in place can also be used safely throughout the home.

Learn more about Ponds and Dugouts in our blog post about Ponds and Dugouts as water sources in rural Dawson Creek Homes.

Waste Water Management

In our area, there are very few septic fields because of the soil’s clay base. For this reason, sewage lagoons are often used on rural properties as the solution to manage residential wastewater. A sewage lagoon is a basin that wastewater flows into for storage and treatment. It can also be known as an effluent pond. They are designed to suit their location and how much use they will have to manage. All lagoons should be fenced for safety. When necessary, they are lined to prevent contamination of groundwater. All new installation of lagoons after 2005 have been monitored strictly by Northern Health Regulations. For more information, visit Peace River Regional District (PRRD).

If you are interested in purchasing a property that utilizes a sewage lagoon and wants to learn more about these types of systems, check out our blog post about Lagoons or feel free to reach out and I can answer any question you have or point you in the direction of someone who can help.

Choosing to live a rural life is a great one, but not one that should be jumped into without knowing exactly what you’re getting into. That’s why helping to ease your transition so you can settle into your new home seamlessly is a top priority of mine.

Land Parcels

Outside of rural Dawson Creek, there are many great rural subdivisions like Briar Ridge in the southeast and Bear Mountain to the south and southwest. Subdivisions create two or more lots out of one lot/parcel or even join two or more lots into one.  

In terms of sizes of the properties in these subdivisions, they can range from the standard five to 10-acre parcels or you may be lucky enough to find a 20 to the 40-acre parcel. Otherwise, you are going to find 160-acre parcels as they are in the Agriculture Land Reserve.

Learn more about subdivisions and property sizes in our blog post about Rural Property Subdivisions around Dawson Creek.

If you are a buyer looking to move to the Peace Country region, look no further than Dawson Creek Real Estate. Working with new buyers is always exciting and rewarding when you find the right match.  If you are selling, working with you makes me feel proud that you trust me to do what it takes to get your property sold.

If you are interested in rural properties, you can see them in my Featured Properties — you never know, your dream property may just be a click away! You can also see my Aerial Property tours to give you a near-complete experience of what your potential property looks like from a unique perspective.  

If you’ve made the decision and you’re ready to buy, you can see my complete listings. I look forward to helping you find your dream property today.