I have read everything on this forum about wwtp. I work for a management company that owns 100+ parks. Curious about the real pros and cons of a wwtp. I know having one can save money , but also if anything went wrong it would be extensive in cost to repair. Are there any other major cons besides cost and compliance of a wwtp?
Nobody wants to buy one. When you sell it, you will be looking at a very difficult-to-market property.
When I see a Well Water park or a wwtp park my immediate response is: PASS.
My guess is that less than 20% of Park Owners/Buyers would be willing to buy a wwtp park.
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I have a park for sale with a lagoon in eastern OK. I have it priced super aggressively to sell for that reason. Let me know if you’re interested @brettford
Our group ownes properties with private wells and septic systems but not wastewater treatment plants. In general I the biggest downside is that if you have a problem it is not a $3000 fix that comes out of your operational budget rather it could be a $10,000, $50,000, or $1 million fix which requires a capital expenditure. Additionally, to make the larger repairs may require government permits and approvals, which may force you into the most recent building code.
For example, we have wells, and they have not been a problem but we do regular water quality testing. If we find a problem, we may have to install additional equipment like chlorinators, etc. and hire an operator to operate this equipment. This type of upgrade would require us to inform the government authorities of the change in our water distribution system.
With septic it may be illegal to repair a failing system but instead, the whole thing has to be replaced. When replacing a passive system, you may find that you do not have enough land to build the new system, and that you have to install aerobic units which would require electricity. I have seen properties that do not have enough land to add these more complicated systems so they had to remove lots to make space for the system.
With wastewater treatment plants, you would have to purchase the plant which cost a few hundred thousand dollars plus the cost to construct it plus the cost for engineering and government approvals. This could easily cost $500,000-$1 million.or more. Once built, you would need a licensed operator to check on it on a regular basis.
There could be good opportunity in properties with private utilities, but you have to be prepared in case they start to fail.
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The biggest problem we experienced is the outflow water. If it flows off your property, can it meet all present and new requirements plus neighbors who just want to complain and have 24-hour remedy from the government. Neighbors can be a big issue.