Dry Wells in the Reserve Study

Dry Wells are designed to collect and dispose of storm water by allowing water to percolate into subsurface soils above the aquifer. All dry wells in Arizona must be registered with the Department of Environmental Quality. They are considered common area components and maintenance responsibility generally falls on the HOA.

With regular maintenance and repairs, dry wells are typically a long-life component; however, failure does occur on occasion due to a number of factors (poor construction, neglect, etc.). If failure does occur, replacement costs for dry wells can range between $15,000 – $18,000. If your community has dry wells, then your Reserve study should include them.  Omitting this component from the Reserve Study can result in deferred maintenance and even SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS.  

HOW TO BUDGET FOR DRY WELLS

There are two elements to Dry Well costs:

1.            Required annual inspections (Operating Expense).

2.            Dry Wells repairs and replacements (Reserve Expense).

Based on our experience with Arizona Home Owners Associations and research with local vendors, Dry Well repairs and sometimes replacements can be reasonably predicted and therefore should be planned in a Reserve Study.

A little Reserve Fund planning now can save the association big dollars in the future. If your community has dry wells, be sure your Reserve Study includes funding for these costly components.