Water access on a new build property

This discussion illuminates a common problem in many areas in Costa Rica and not just as it applies to water service.

In every case, it's critical to confirm that the utilities you will need will be available to you. If you need a telephone in the house, go to the phone company and get an authoritative answer to when they will actually install landline service. If you plan to rely on cell service, as more and more people are doing, go to the property and see if you can get a reliable signal.

Do the same for water, electricity, Internet access, etc. Don't take anybody's word for it except the utility that provides the service.

An important note, too: In Costa Rica, water is a publicly-owned resource. The water that may be under the surface of the land you own is NOT yours. It belongs to the public. If you have an idea to drill a well, you must first get a permit for the drilling and then, if you actually hit water, you must get a second permit to use that water.

Similarly, you may not simply divert the flow of a naturally flowing spring and you may not block that flow by dynamiting it, bulldozing it, or otherwise. Even though it's on your property, it's not yours to change.

And you may not divert the flow of river water at the bottom of the slope of your property. It's also not yours.

None of this is to suggest that putting the public's water to your own use isn't done, but the consequences of doing so, if discovered, can be severe.